Wangari’s Trees of Peace and the WCCPBA
I am thrilled that the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award (WCCPBA) has several of the nonfiction books from last year’s CYBILS Nonfiction Picture Book nominee list. It is a vast improvement over last year’s list. Some one must have been listening.
Two titles on the list made our CYBILS short list. One is Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter.
I briefly mention the book last winter in my blog post about the CYBILS shortlist. Never got around to fully sharing the book for Nonfiction Monday.
“Peopel fight over water, over food…we plant the seeds of peace.”–Wangari Maathai. This quote is found in the back of the book.
Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africais the story of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan girl who went to America to school and upon returning home from her studies discovered that land stripped of its beautiful tree. Wangari proceeded to make it her mission to revive the land. She began in her own backyard and encouraged other women to do the same. Eventually the “Green Belt Movement” planted over 30 million trees.
Wangari’s work had such an impact that she was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2004 for her work.
Winter uses spare vocabulary and vivid acrylic painting in a folk style to depict this lovely story. She includes an author’s note at the end of the story. I am thrilled to share this book with students this coming year.
Title: Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa
Author: Jeanette Winter
Date Published: 2008
Pages: 32 pages
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN-10: 0152065458
ISBN-13: 978-0152065454
Source of Book: Silver Star Library
Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Diane Chen at School Library Journal this week. Head there for other great nonfiction titles.
Happy Reading.
MsMac
