Winter, Jeanette. (2010). Wangari’s trees of peace: A true story from Africa. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.
Summary: The story documents the life of Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner who was recognized for her role in the Green Belt Movement. Maathai grew up in beautiful Kenya under the canopy of lush trees. Upon graduation, she traveled to the United States for her college education. When she returned to Kenya she was surprised to see that those trees were gone. In their place was a barren landscape primed for office buildings. Maathai took action. She started small and planted nine seedlings in her back yard. Then she convinced other Kenyan women to do the same and the movement grew and grew despite nay-sayers. Like the trees that line the Kenyan countryside today, Maathai’s impact remains. Readers will be inspired by the book’s many messages.
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If you enjoyed Wangari’s story, you might want to check out Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari’s Maathai.
Discussion Questions:
1. Explain how the people and the animals are affected by the clearing of the trees.
2. Compare Wangari’s movement to the first seedling she planted in 1977.
To read a transcript of an interview with author and illustrator Jeanette Winter, log on to http://www.harcourtbooks.com/authorinterviews/bookinterview_Winter.asp
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