Wait For It! The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear

CHARLES WANTED TO FIND A WISH TREE.

HIS BROTHER AND SISTER SAID, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING."

blockquote="">BUT CHARLES SAID, "WHAT DO YOU THINK, BOGGAN?"

AND BOGGAN THOUGHT SURELY THERE WAS SUCH A THING.

Charles follows his sled Boggan through the snowy woods, but none of the snowy trees seem to have any special powers. But Boggan whishhhh-ed along, and Charles sang loudly through the trees....

LA DI DA DI DA DI DAH!

Charles came upon Squirrel struggling to get a trove of nuts home to his home and loaded them on Boggan to take home to store for the winter. Further through the woods they meet up with Beaver, carrying birch branches, one by one, to his lodge. Charles loaded up Boggan, and soon Beaver was all set for the season. Singing his La-Di-Da song, Charles and Boggan slid across the beaver pond.

They didn't meet a wishing tree, but they found Fox trying to bring a bunch of berries home to her babies, so Charles and Boggan pitched in to deliver the goods right to the door of her den. They plucked some mushrooms for a mob of mice. It was nice that the mice were pleased, but Charles was beginning to worry if they would ever find their wish tree.

"WE MAY NEED TO MOVE A LITTLE FASTER, BOGGAN," SAID CHARLES.

It felt late. The shadows seemed darker.

"I CANNOT. SEARCH. ANY. LONGER," SAID CHARLES.

And then he sees it. The silvery Wish Tree.

CHARLES WROTE HIS WISH ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND TIED IT ON THE TREE.

And just beyond the Wish Tree the animals had set up a feast of hazlenut souffle and birch tea and berry biscuits for all.

And Charles sang as Boggan whooshed him all the way back home, in The Wish Tree (Chronicle Books), in Kyo Maclear's lovely snowy day story of kindness returned and wishes fulfilled. Illustrated with minimalist colors, white, blue, and pale pink, by Chris Dunham, there is a quiet magic in the snowy landscape in this wintry story of wish fulfillment.