Wangari's Trees of Peace

"We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own- indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder."
-Wangari Maathai

Title: "Wangari's Trees of Peace"
Author & Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Genre: Biography
Topic: Environmentalism, Heroism
Awards Received:
-An ALA Notable Children's Book
-Winner of the Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Nonfiction
-A CCBC Choice
-A Parent's Choice Recommendation Title

Jeanette Winter currently lives in New York City where she has written and illustrated many books for children based on true-life stories and events. Growing up, Winter knew she wanted to become an artist and create pictures that told stories but it wasn't until college that she knew she wanted to write and illustrate books for children. Her great-uncle, who was also an artist, was Winter's biggest role model and inspiration.

As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But as she got older, she saw the trees being cut down. Wangari became afraid that soon all the forests would be destroyed. As a result, she decided to plant nine seedlings. Wangari said, "Our lives will be better when we have trees again. You'll see. We are planing the seeds of hope."

This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and the first woman from East Africa to earn a Ph.D, is an amazing example of how one person's passion, vision, and determination can inspire and bring about great change.

This book is printed on 100% recycled paper and the beautiful, vivid images are done in acrylic on Arches watercolor paper.

I immediately knew I wanted to choose this book once I saw the gorgeous illustrations and learned that it was a true story about one woman who risked her life to save her homeland. "Wangari's Trees of Peace" vividly takes you through one remarkable hero's life who kept fighting for what she knew was right without using violence.

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

Wangari was a young Kenyan girl who grew up helping her mother gather firewood in the forest for cooking. Together they harvested sweet potatoes, sugarcane, and maize from the rich soil. She shined in school and was awarded a scholarship to study in America. However, when she returned to her homeland six years later, she was devastated that all the trees were gone and were now being replaced by buildings. She decided to do something about it and convincedother women to help her by planing "seeds of hope". Even the government men and harsh beatings didn't stop Wangari from planting her trees. Today, we have Wangari and the women who helped her to thank for the 30+ million trees that stretch across Kenya.

The setting of this book takes place in Mount Kenya in Africa during the mid-1950s. The story takes place during a time when women were forced to haul firewood miles and miles away from their home. Women were not only looked down upon but were also laughed at by the government men who said that women can't plant trees. Wangari even got thrown in jail. However, none of this stops Wangari from fighting for what she believed was right.

In Kenya, trees are a symbol of peace. Why would anyone allow that to be taken away? According to Wangari, "People are fighting over water, over food...we plant the seeds of peace."

Standard: RL.3.2- Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Objective: The student will write and illustrate what their seed of hope and peace represents to them.

Each seed (along with the student's explanation) will be placed on our classroom community tree. Students will observe how each day the tree gets bigger and bigger.

"Wangari's Trees of Peace" is a wonderful story that contains many fabulous life lessons from standing up for what is right to the importance of conserving trees and the dangers of deforestation.

When teaching this lesson, I would love to give students the opportunity to plant seeds outside and get to watch them grow into beautiful trees, just like Wangari did.

Winter, J. (2008). "Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa." Orlando, FL: Harcourt.