Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees
Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees
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Charlesbridge Publishing
Annotation: Recounts the life and accomplishments of the environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai.
Genre: [Biographies]
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #97637
Format: Publisher's Hardcover
Copyright Date: 2015
Edition Date: 2015 Release Date: 01/06/15
Illustrator: Fronty, Aurelia,
Pages: 45 pages
ISBN: 1-580-89626-X
ISBN 13: 978-1-580-89626-9
Dewey: 921
LCCN: 2013049030
Dimensions: 27 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2015)

Starred Review A French import, this inspired new biography of Wangari Maathai has both aesthetic and educational qualities that make it a classroom must-have. Maathai, a Kenyan political activist known for her environmental work, is very much alive in Prévot's present-tense narrative that highlights the personal and political forces that caused Maathai to form the Green Belt Movement. An eventual Nobel Prize winner, she not only planted trees but also defied the sexism that kept girls out of school, raised alarms about colonial farming practices that cut down trees to make room for British coffee plantations, and fought local land developers and a corrupt Kenyan government, ultimately relying on the solidarity of women as activists and workers who strove to make "democracy grow like trees." Evocative, lush, and sometimes surprising images illustrate. In exquisite detail, Fronty inscribes the life and texture of trees on every page, leaving readers with no doubt that, as Maathai's mother told her, "a tree is worth more than its wood."

School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2015)

Gr 2-6 Prevot offers a gorgeous addition to the several books already available on Kenyan environmentalist and political activist Wangari Maathai, with as much biographical information as the pages can support. The writing is artful, clear, and concise, with references to Maathai's native Swahili language and the cultural connections to the environment. This book provides students a beginning for research on her early life through the political turmoil of a corrupt Kenyan government which fell in 2002; it will also support deeper understanding of how she earned the Novel Peace Prize in 2004 for starting the Green Belt Movement, an NGO dedicated to planting trees, protecting the environment, and promoting women's rights. Fronty's art shines bright, expanding the text with styles that echo Henri Rousseau, Henri Matisse, and others. Of the other picture book biographies on Maathai, most focus on the tree planting rather than her life; this one offers appropriate information about the political upheavals that influenced Maathai. Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references (page 45).
Word Count: 1,723
Reading Level: 5.5
Interest Level: 1-4
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.5 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 195520 / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:7.6 / points:3.0 / quiz:Q66079
Lexile: 970L
When Wangari planted a large-leafed ebony tree or an African tulip tree, she was reminded of her own roots. She was born in 1940 in the little village of Ihithe, across from the majestic volcano Mount Kenya, which her people consider holy. This is her story.

Excerpted from Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted a Million Trees by Franck Prévot
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

“Trees are living symbols of peace and hope.” –Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace laureate

Wangari Maathai changed the way the world thinks about nature, ecology, freedom, and democracy, inspiring radical efforts that continue to this day.This simply told story begins with Green Belt Movement founder Wangari Maathai’s childhood at the foot of Mount Kenya where, as the oldest child in her family, her responsibility was to stay home and help her mother. When the chance to go to school presented itself, she seized it with both hands. She traveled to the US to study, where she saw that even in the land of the free, black people were not welcome.

Returning home, Wangari was determined to help her people and her country. She recognized that deforestation and urbanization was at the root of her country’s troubles. Her courage and confidence carried her through adversity to found a movement for peace, reconciliation, and healing. 

Aurélia Fronty’s beautiful illustrations show readers the color and diversity of Wangari’s Africa—the green trees and the flowering trees full of birds, monkeys, and other animals; the roots that dig deep into the earth; and the people who work and live on the land.


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