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Branching Out

COURTESY KATHERINE APPLEGATE; JILL TATARA FOR TIME FOR KIDS

A massive oak tree named Red is the unusual narrator of Wishtree, a new book by author KATHARINE APPLEGATE. Each year, people in Red’s community write their wishes on paper and hang them on the tree’s branches. When an immigrant family moves into the neighborhood, not everyone is welcoming. Red and some animal friends help people in town learn to be more accepting of others. “I hope this story will help kids think a little harder about what it’s like to be new in a community,” Applegate told TFK.