Welcome to the inaugural year of a community-wide literary initiative!

Many school districts around the country annually embark in widespread readings of a common text. These initiatives are often called "One District, One Book". Several of our teachers expressed interest in launching such a program in our district. We very quickly coined the name "BellBOOKS" for our initiative and each year we plan to have a theme. This, being the inaugural year, the theme is "Taking Root" - it's very apt for the year we're reading a book told from a tree's personified perspective, right? We have selected the book, Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. While teachers' and classes' participation in this P-12 common read are totally at the discretion of individual teachers, many teachers may be implementing the reading of Wishtree and related activities into their curriculum. The degree to which this book may or may not be part of your child's curriculum this quarter will vary from school to school, subject to subject, teacher to teacher, and class to class. Nonetheless, we hope that you will make a personal choice to join in this community-wide reading.

As you know, these are unprecedented times. We were looking for a way to create unity in a time that social distancing is imperative. The best way to create unity in an academic setting is through literacy - the foundation of all learning. We hope that this book will speak to all members of our community. Early in the book, the narrator says, "I've learned that there's not much you can do except stand tall and reach deep" (Applegate 34). In these times of strife, that will become indelible memories, perhaps it's best to heed this advice and stand tall and reach deep into our roots and our identities, beliefs and values. Instead of emphasizing all that we've lost, maybe we should think about all that we've gained. You see, just as the roots of the past that made us who we are in the present, so will the struggles of the present contribute to whom we will be in the future. The pandemic and quarantine are bringing about unique opportunities as the very fabric of our lives and the lives of all humanity have been impacted. One such opportunity is a chance for deep reflection and recognizing that when life gets back to "normal", it won't be the same normal we once knew. Such is life - like trees, we take roots, we grow, and we change over time.

In this unique time, it is impractical to conduct a community- wide common read the way we might have done so a couple months ago. In this new era of eLearning and Remote Learning, we are finding new ways of accomplishing things. As such, each of the very short fifty-one chapters of this book have been video recorded being read to you by guest readers from all over the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local School District. The chapters will be released on Fridays in 10-chapter increments, except the first week wherein we will release 11, and can be found by clicking the buttons at the bottom of this page*. Please check back each Friday afternoon through May 8th for each subsequent installment. Perhaps this will take you back to a different time in our American story in the United States - another time of great difficulty and many unknowns wherein people could escape their harsh realities through "stories" on the radio and 'fireside chats' with former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, affectionately known as FDR. The most important goal is to enjoy the story and connect with it. As author CS Lewis simply put it, "We read to know that we are not alone." In times of isolation, it is easy to feel alone; as we are all sharing in a global experience in life, let's share in a community experience through literacy!

*Also, note that the book is also available in Spanish under the title, El árbol de los deseos. The links for the chapters read in Spanish can also be found below on this page.

In addition to the 'video reading' installments, this site will also provide you with additional supplementary materials and ideas for discussions with others and to help all community readers engage with and extend beyond the reading.

Moreover, we'd love to see the community engaging in this! Please capture these shared moments in literacy and post them to your social media accounts and be sure to always apply the hashtag #bellbooks.

Katherine Applegate wrote a beautiful story with a unique main character. Wishtree is told from the first person perspective of a 216 year old oak tree named Red. Red is special in several ways. People write wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches each May. Because of this, Red has witnessed a lot of sadness from humans.

Red tells stories about the past to the animals that live in its hollows. This time Red decides not to be an observer. Red jumps into action after seeing the sadness of a Muslim girl named Samar. Samar’s wish is simple. She wishes for a friend. Red enlists her crow friend Bongo to help make Samar’s wish come true.

This story teaches a valuable lesson for all of us.

But, before we dive into Wishtree, here is some pertinent cultural information about wishtrees.

Source: Applegate, Katherine. Wishtree. Faber and Faber, 2020.

If you would prefer to have a copy of the text in addition to the video recordings, here are some options:

• electronic book in English (an application is required to open it): Click here

• English version hard copy available on Amazon: Click here

• Spanish version hard copy available at Barnes and Noble: Click here