Wangari Maathai grew up in a Kenya that was lush with trees and farm crops.
Used with the permission of Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. Planting the Trees of Kenya © 2008 by Claire A. Planting the Trees of Kenya: the Story of Wangari Maathai.Ĭlaire A Nivola Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2008 Highly recommended for all libraries.Planting the Trees of Kenya: the Story of Wangari Maathai Nivola has done an outstanding job telling the story of this truly remarkable human being. Though the book begs to be read aloud to a group, the drawings are so detailed that clarity would be lost if held up to viewing by a large group. The illustrations are detailed and colorful and sparkle with life. Her formation of the Green Belt Movement is an inspiring story, told here simply and clearly. Without waiting for the government or anyone else, “They could begin to change their own lives.” Over the past thirty years, the people of Kenya took Wangari Maathai’s idea, and one tree at a time, have planted thirty million trees! An Author’s Note tells readers that Wangari Maathai is the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
When she saw this, Wangari had “a simple and big idea.” She appealed to the women of Kenya to begin planting trees. Her country’s topsoil was eroding because “Without trees there were no roots to hold the soil in place.” The blown dirt polluted streams making it difficult to find drinking water. When she returned after only five years away, she found the trees of Kenya had been almost wiped out to make way for farms. Wangari left to study biology in America. When she was little, the fig trees in Kenya were considered sacred, not to be touched or cut down. Wangari Maathai is well on her way to altering the course of history for the better in a most unusual way in her native land of Kenya.
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