St Paul , MN: Elva Resa Publishing is proud to announce that The Wishing Tree, a picture book about a young girl’s creative way of dealing with her dad’s military deployment, has received a 2009 gold Mom’s Choice Award for family-friendly media. The national award recognizes excellence in books and other products.

In The Wishing Tree, written by Mary Redman and illustrated by Christina Rodriguez, Amanda tries to find a way to make her dad’s long deployment feel a little easier. Even her mom’s suggestion of ice cream sundaes for dinner doesn’t lift her spirits. After mulling over ways she can support her dad, Amanda decides to create a wishing tree, writing her hopes and prayers on ribbons and tying them to its branches. As she wishes for her dad to enjoy good meals, make new friends, and return safely, the little tree comes to life with yellow ribbons of hope.

“When a parent deploys, children can feel helpless, worried, and proud all at the same time,” said author Mary Redman, who raised three children as a military spouse. “It’s my hope The Wishing Tree gives kids a sense of empowerment during their loved one’s deployment.”

Wishing trees exist in many cultures as a way to bring people’s innermost thoughts and prayers to life. Amanda uses her wishing tree to express her feelings while her dad is deployed for a year. Children can also create wishing trees to stay connected to parents traveling for work, grandparents who live far away, and even special friends between visits. For more information and ideas about wishing trees, visit www.elvaresa.com/wishingtree.html.

The Mom’s Choice Awards (MCA), given annually, recognize quality, family-friendly media. Products are evaluated by a panel of education, media and other experts, including Dr. Twila C. Liggett, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow, Julie Aigner-Clark, creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project, and Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author. MCA judges are especially interested in products that help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually; are morally sound and promote good will; and are inspirational and uplifting.

About the Author

Mary Redman has experienced many joys and challenges as a military wife and mother over the past 20 years. She has managed pack-outs, given birth, visited emergency rooms, heralded holidays, bid farewell to grandparents, and attended numerous school events while her husband was deployed. Military life gave Mary many unexpected opportunities, from attending the running of the bulls in Spain to teaching English in Japan and exploring American history with her family in Virginia . She lives on Long Island with her husband and three boys, where she spends much of her time attending soccer games.

About the Illustrator

Born overseas to multicultural parents, Christina Rodriguez grew up as an Air Force brat, moving from place to place. Christina loved to draw and paint. She was awarded a generous scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design where she earned a fine arts degree in illustration. Christina is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and in her spare time enjoys cooking authentic Mexican cuisine, volunteering, hula-hooping, and being outdoors. She and her husband live with their dog in historic Stillwater, Minnesota.

The Wishing Tree is available from local retailers as well as Amazon.com and www.MilitaryFamilyBooks.com.

###

ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an independent publisher based in St Paul, Minnesota, whose mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Its primary imprint specializes in books for and about military families. For more information, visit www.elvaresa.com.

Buy this book at www.militaryfamilybooks.com.