Red is an old oak tree, red is the wishtree in the neighbourhood. Peole will come to the tree and tie pieces of cloth to it upon which they have written their wishes. Red’s the home to a host of animals: Bongo, the raven, is one of them and she’s Red’s best friend.
Red observes life in the neighbourhood and today it notices that the house opposite has had words written on it. There’s a refugee family living in the house. One night, the daughter of the family comes to Red and whispers her wish for a friend. Red is now determined to find the little girl a friend and enlists the help of Bongo.
Meanwhile the owner of the land upon which Red has stood for decades wants to cut Red down. Will Red be able to help the girl and will the neighbourhood be able to save Red’s life?
This is an adorable book! Red is a lovely character and Bongo acts like Red’s sounding board and is not always in agrees with Red. This is a fab read for children 8 years and up.
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 44: Literary device: personification
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️