Customer Reviews

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The earth was naked. For me the mission was to try to cover it with green." - Wangari Maathai

Growing up in the shadow of Mount Kenya in Africa, Wangari is surrounded by an umbrella of green trees. The trees protect the birds, provide firewood to the women of the village and help keep the soil rich for the sweet potatoes, sugarcane and maize Wangari helps to harvest.

Wangari travels to America for school, but when she returns six years later, the trees are gone. No crops grow, the birds are gone and the women have to travel far distances to find firewood. On World Environment Day in 1977, Wangari plants nine seedlings in her backyard and begins the Green Belt Movement which, over the next 27 years, plants thirty million trees across Africa.

Wangari's Trees of Peace: a true story from Africa is the story of one woman's effort to return green to Africa. Told in Jeanette Winter's simple language and blocky, colorful illustrations, Wangari's Trees of Peace is wonderful means to introduce 3-to-7-year- olds to environmentalism, the interconnected nature of ecosystems and political activitism. It also introduces some difficult subjects that may make some children and parents uncomfortable: prejudice ("Women can't do this"), violence ("Wangari blocks their way, so they hit her with clubs") and imprisonment ("They call her a troublemaker and put her in jail").

While Winter's tale simplifies Wangari's story to a basic level, it carries within it an important message, that one person can make a difference. Wangari's simple act of planting a tree translates to an important environmental movement and Wangari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Children are innate idealists and it is never too early to foster their belief that they can achieve anything.

In keeping with the environmental nature of Wangari's Trees of Peace, the book is printed on 100 percent recycled paper with 50 percent post-consumer waste.

Armchair Interviews says: Book both educates and entertains.

I bought this for my 8-year-old niece. She and her mother read it together and really loved it. This is a great story, clearly told. For all our progress on the gender front, girls still need positive female role models, and Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and Nobel Prize Winner is a terrific one. The story values education but also stresses the importance of putting education to use. Also, the story helps children understand sustainability. Finally, the story stresses how we all need to take part in forging solutions. One person can't fix enormous problems by herself.

Wangari Maathai is an amazing woman - she won a scholarship to attend college in the U.S., became a professor of biology in Kenya, she enabled Kenyan woman to become environmentalists by enticing them with money, and she stood up to the government to elicit needed change to better the lives of her people. The story is powerful and still accessible, written in plain language appropriate for the 4-7 crowd.

That said - word of caution. I wanted to take this to my daughter's school, but there are two pages that make it inappropriate. The book discusses how she was beaten with clubs by police and thrown in jail. Blood is shown coming from her cheekbone. This is a difficult message to give to a 4 year old, conflicts with other messages about police we give them, and will render this book unusable in most classroom environments.

So, I am recommending the book for home use with discussion and sadly not recommending it for school use unless it has been shared beforehand with the parental types.

Wangari Maathai grew up in Kenya. Under Mount Kenya there were many beautiful trees. She and her mother used to go into the forest to gather wood. She also helped her mother in the garden. Because Wangari was an excellent student, she won a scholarship to a college in America. She lived in the states for six years and when she returned she was shocked at what she saw. Kenya was not the same as it was before. There were no trees to be seen and women were struggling to get firewood for their homes and had to walk many miles to get it.

The birds were gone. Everything was stark and barren. It was enough to make her cry, but she had a plan. She began simply by "planting nine seedlings." From this tiny idea and a few seeds grew an even greater idea. Wangari started a nursery and convinced other women that they needed trees again. "Our lives will be better when we have trees again. You'll see. We are planting the seeds of hope." Kenyan men thought she was a fool and jailed her when she tried to block some cutting. She was alone in jail, yet she wasn't. Would the forests of Kenya return from a small idea and nine seedlings?

This was a wonderful, true life tale of a woman who wanted to save the environment in a small way, but ended up changing the face of a nation. The story and writing are very appealing and the art work is very complimentary. This is understandably a Vermont Red Clover Nominee for the 2009-10 year award. In the back of the book is a brief biography of Wangari, a woman whose spirit you are sure to fall in love with!

Since this is based on a true story, it is a great way to introduce children to environmental responsibility, as a matter of social justice. Even though women in African cultures are confined to certain roles, Wangari convinces women that they can make a difference in their culture. Wangari teaches them that by planting the seeds that will grow into trees and re-covering their land in green forestation, they are planting seeds of hope in their communities.

We gave this book to both sets of grandchildren, each almost 3 and 4. They love it! One of the almost 3 year olds keeps asking me to read the book about trees, and one of the 4 year olds has now become interested in everything to do with Kenya. She keeps talking about Wangari as if she knows her. The book touched something in the children, as her memoir, Unbowed, did in me. I will recommend it to every teacher, too, as a read-aloud in schools.

This is an excellent picture book follow-up to the adult version, The Challenge for Africa. It will make students aware that one person can make a difference. It will broaden their awareness of the issues that other countries are dealing with.

As a teacher, books like these are invaluable to building a classroom around activism, peace, and the power of an individual. One of my favorites.

This is a beautiful true story of how one woman can make a huge difference in her country with persistence and cooperation. Wangari Matthai's books give a wonderful picture of the complex history of Africa and of hope for the future.

My twins (age 7) and son (age 5) love this book. We especially enjoy taking it to school to share during reading time with the other students. Thanks for such a wonderful book!