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

By Jeanette Winter

As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But years later when she returns home, she is shocked to see whole forests being cut down, and she knows that soon all the trees will be destroyed. So Wangari decides to do something—and starts by planting nine seedlings in her own backyard. And as they grow, so do her plans. . . .

         This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman’s passion, vision, and determination inspired great change.

         Includes an author’s note.

This book was printed on 100% recycled paper with 50% postconsumer waste.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 21, 2008
• ISBN: 9780547546384

Jeanette Winter

JEANETTE WINTER has written and illustrated many books for children, including MAMA, The Librarian of Basra, Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, My Name Is Georgia, and Josefina. She lives in New York City.

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Reviews for Wangari's Trees of Peace

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wangari Maathai received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize,, was the first woman from East Africa to earn a PhD, and is a member of parliament in Kenya.This picture book tells her story, from childhood through studying abroad, coming home, and beginning the Green Belt Movement. The illustrations are nice, but I would have preferred them to be page-sized, rather than enclosed in boxes significantly smaller than the pages. Or the pages could be smaller.

[miss_annie_o · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this biography about a young girl named Wangari, she is pictured playing and working in the beautiful, lush forest of Kenya in Africa. She loves the richness of the land and the animals that live there, as well as helping her mother to tend the gardens. However, she is an extremely good student, so when she is old enough, she earns a scholarship to go to America to study. When she comes back six years later, she finds the land completely barren. The trees are cut down and women walk with bent backs because they have to travel so far to collect firewood for their families. Wangari realizes that the trees had been cut down to make room for the new buildings, but no one had bothered to plant new ones... But then, Wangari did. Word soon spread to the women of her village and, though they were mocked, they planted row after row of trees, being paid by Wangari - whatever she could afford. Soon after that, other women from other places in similar situation in Kenya heard of what the women in the village were doing, so they followed suit. The trees were beginning to grow, but soon, construction workers came to cut them down to make room for more buildings; but Wangari stood firm. She stood her ground, but the police came, beat her with clubs, and even threw her in jail. Wangari kept thinking to herself "right is right, even if you're along," and continued standing tall and proud in her jail cell. Soon, word spread all over Africa and women began planting more and more trees until there were 30 million of them growing all across the continent! The wall of trees returned to Wangari's village and the women were able to walk tall and proud again. Wangari was the woman who gained the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 because of the Green Belt Movement that she founded and the peace that it ushered in.

[kitbraddick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice book about Wangari Maathai's life and her contributions and impact. She is an environmentalist and activist, but many children do not understand what that means, or why it is important. Jeanette Winter adequately explains these concepts and makes Wangari's impact understandable and meaningful.

[sarahetuemmler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is based off a true story and would be considered realistic fiction. It is a story about a women who lives in Kenya where the trees are all green around her. There are many different crops being grown and the land is plentiful around her. She goes to study in America and comes back and all the trees in Kenya are gone. She then starts to plant seeds and build her own trees. She begins to tell all the local women in her community to do the same. Word travels fast and soon many different villages of women in Kenya are planting seeds and building trees. The men government officials try to tear down the trees but soon all of the Kenya women stand up to them and build millions of trees. Kenya has its green again and many crops are being planted and the fruit is plentiful and the land is full of life.

[nataliecjones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a woman in Africa that goes to the U.S., and when she comes back to Kenya, she realizes that all of the trees have been chopped down. She seeks to change this, and starts planing trees. The government officials do not like this, and they try to stop her by putting her in jail. This does not stop her though, because there are people all over Africa planting trees. This is a biography.

[krausch-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book, but not as much as I liked other books. I did like that one person brought a whole community together to rebuild something that she truly cared about, trees.

[amartino1208 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story is about a women who returns home to see that all the trees are missing and her people need to travel further to get the supplies they require. She began to fix the problem by replanting the trees. This book teaches children that if they want something accomplished strong enough, then they should work hard to achieve it. Illustrations were well drawn. Children can learn a lot from this book. Overall i would read it again, and share it with young children to educate them on life lessons about hard work.

[kwolinski-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book also shows the importance of Wangari's work. The illustrations in this book are great! I would read this book to younger children so that they understand her importance and bravery.

[y3nhivu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another picture book of Wangari and her fight for peace with planting trees. She is also known as Mama Miti

[hschmill22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a great story about Wangari. She had a mission to help Africa to grow. She knew the answer to all of their problem was to plant a tree and use the tree for all of its value.

[emilyann93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is set in Kenya and the time period isn't determined. The women in this culture work but do not get paid for it. This culture is more male dominant than women. The young women plant seeds and there is about 30,000 trees now. The crops grow again and the land is barren anymore because the young women have made the land have life again. The meaning of the words in the book are important as well. Planting trees in this country is something that she wanted to do. As a woman she wanted to do this for her own good. She gave the town a sense of peace and comfort to say that the land will be okay.

[nkwak1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked reading this book. Although it was short, it was specific in its main points and told a great story. The main character, Wangari, was a strong leader and it showed through her academics (getting a scholarship) and through her willingness to bring restoration back to Kenya. The author depicted Wangari well by focusing on the positive aspects that she believed in. I also liked that the book pushed readers to think about the destruction that building can come with. It informs readers of the hardships that the people of Kenya faced and how Wangari took a stand against it. It broadens the perspectives of readers because it gives them hope that they can make a difference to preserve trees and appreciate nature. Wangari describing the trees as an umbrella is relatable to children because on a hot day children normally stand underneath the cool shade of a giant tree. The idea of these trees being cut down becomes a personal effect. When Wangari also mentions her appreciation of the birds it becomes a relatable aspect to children who love animals or more specifically birds. The main message of this book is to preserve nature and trees from being cut down and destroyed by big buildings. Wangari's action is to be a testament for those who want to save the Earth.

[swelker-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was about a woman who wanted to bring peace to her country. The trees in her home were being torn down, so she decided to plant new ones. She planted trees everywhere and was able to get everyone to help her. Soon all of the trees were restored in her town. This book teaches that anything can be accomplished. No one should give up, everyone should keep going. I would read this to my students to teach them about peace.

[jewolf-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is truly an inspirational story of a women who deciceded to make a big difference in her home town. She began planting trees and with the help of other women planted thousands of trees and made a huge impact on the enviroment. Loved this book and story!

[adriennewood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wangari Maathai left her home of Kenya Mountain for 6 years to get an education in America. When she returns, all of the beautiful trees have been cut down. It’s not just the trees that are gone, but the birds and the shade that went with them. (I copied and pasted this from my notes I typed up in class). She wants everything back the way it used to be and starts planting trees. Eventually others start helping her and it doesn't just happen it her village, the act has spread across the land. This story is another on that can be used to show what a difference one person can make. It only takes one person to start an incredible change!

[roxygamboa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about Wangari living in Kenya and fighting the right to save the trees. All of the trees were cute down which affected Kenya in the way they lived, shelter, food, and the animals. She ended up planting more then 30 millions trees.

[sjoachim-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wangari returns to her village in Africa to find that all of the beautiful trees have been cut down. She makes it her mission to replace those trees. She is jailed several times, but that does not deter her from her mission.

[aalkurd-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is absolutely INSPIRATIONAL! This woman did everything in her power to bring back the trees to Kenya. She even went to jail! Now that's dedication.

[lvalido-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is about the life of Mahttai Wangari and how she brought the tree's back to her village in spite of the obstacles. I am drawn to the cover. She is portrayed as almost a giant while planting the tree seedlings. The mountain is small in the background. I couldn't help but notice the illustration of her after the land was once again filled with trees. She was a small figure standing on top of a tall mountain with a landscape full of trees. The perspective of the scene made me feel that at one time Wangari's role was large and in the end, things were once again how they were meant to be..

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story was perfect for a primary level read about this amazing woman. Mrs. Winter does a great job choosing a simple vocabulary to explain the Greenbelt Movement and Wangari Maathia's importance for her people.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jeanette Winter, whose picture-book biographies include The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq, and Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan, turns her attention to the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize-winner Wangari Maathai in Wangari's Trees of Peace. Growing up in rural Kenya, Wangari developed a deep love of the natural world, but when she returned to her homeland after her college years in the United States, she discovered a land that had been stripped of its greenery, a land increasingly unable to support its people. Determined to help, she began to plant trees, encouraging others to do the same...After reading Claire A. Nivola's Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai, I was curious to see how another children's author would handle this story. Generally speaking, I was pleased with Winters' informative narrative, which included some aspects of the story - like Wangari's imprisonment by the government - that were omitted from Nivola's book. Although I preferred the illustrations from Planting the Trees of Kenya, this is still an immensely appealing book, highly recommended to anyone looking for a good children's book on the founder of Kenya's Green Belt Movement.

[amynorthmartinez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a beautifully illustrated book that packs a powerful message of pacifism and personal responsibility. I would use it in any lessons related to peaceful resistance, our ecosystem, or environmental restoration. There are no racial conflicts in the story. However, the conflict between men and women that is developed in the narrative is not resolved. This may nurture difficult moments in the classroom.

[jroy218 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa" begins with a young girls story of growing up in Africa. She leaves for years, and comes back to her native Kenya where she sees that there is a lack of trees and it is causing inhabitants problems. She begins by setting up nine seedlings and tells other women about it as well. Men think they are crazy. Eventually, many trees are make in Kenya and lives there are made easier. The pictures in this book are great. It shows the demolition of her area and how she gets in back. This would be a great book to use with a K - 3 class to explain how activities to help the environment can be started with just one person. I am sure children would love the book!

[ccbell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. But years later when she returns home, she is shocked to see whole forests being cut down. So Wangari decides to do something - and starts by planting nine seedlings in her own backyard. And as they grow, so do her plans.

[jenunes_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful story regarding the journey of Wangari Maathai and her creation of the Green Belt Movement in Africa. Starting with a single woman seeing the issues of deforestation in her area, she steps up and the act of a single woman becomes a world-wide movement. A remarkable tale.

[mitchellmerritt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a biography of Wangari Maathai,a woman from Kenya.After graduating college in America she returned to Kenya and began a tree planting movment. They planted over 30 million trees in Kenya alone. The movement spread to many other coutries and she won the Nobel Pease Prize. I really like this stoy about a brave and determined person. I admire very much how she started small, with nine seedlings, and it grew to reach all the way to Oklahoma. Very inspireing. Teaching that conservation and protecting our invironment is important and what ideas the children could come up with would be fun. The main thing is using this story to prove that one person can make a difference.