Wangari’s Trees of Peace: a True Story from Africa
Written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter

 

This beautiful book is a biography of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan native who grew up to be a charismatic environmentalist and founder of the Green Belt Movement.  Wangari organized Kenyan women to begin planting trees in deforested areas of the country, making an enormous impact on the environment as well as the Kenyan economy.

Biographical Sketch:
Jeannette Winter is the only child of Swedish immigrants who settled in Chicago before she was born. She realized her passion for art at an early age, but it was not until college that she knew she wanted to make books for children. The author and illustrator of several biographies for children, Winter often writes books of social and historical importance. Her illustrations are known for their folk-art style and bright planes of color. She says she wants her pictures to tell a story. Jeannette Winter has lived in Texas and in Maine and now resides in New York City.

Suggested Activities:

  1. Grow Your Own Tree Activity Kit    http://www.arborday.org/Shopping/Merchandise/MerchDetail.cfm?id=21
  2. Have children adopt a tree and record observations of the tree throughout the year. Children might take bark rubbings, measure growth, write poems and stories, compare with other trees, take photos/make drawings, etc.
  3. Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Have students discuss how her work of planting trees contributed to peace. What other activities might promote peace?
  4. How are Johnny Appleseed and Wangari Maathai alike and different?
  5. Make leaf prints and leaf rubbings.  http://earth911.com/teachers/learn-to-make-leaf-prints/
  6. Invite a forester or an arborist to talk with children about sustainable forestation, tree care.
  7. Create a token economy in the classroom based upon an ecological issue (i.e., recycling returnable bottles, planting a garden and selling the produce/flowers, composting).
  8. As a group, have the children create a timeline based on the book, demonstrating how one small act can lead to a big change.

Companion Books:

Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Dial, 1981.
Brown, Peter. The Curious Garden.  Little Brown, 2009.
Cherry, Lynne.  The Great Kapok Tree. Topeka Bindery, 2001.
Cooney, Barbara.  Miss Rumphius.  Penguin, 1982.
Dr. Seuss, The Lorax.  Random House, 1971.
Locker, Thomas.  Walking with Henry: Based on the Life and Works of Henry David Thoreau.  Fulcrum Publishing, 2002.
McBrier, Page. Beatrice’s Goat.  Illustrated by Lori Lohstroeter.  Aladdin, 2004.
McDonald, Margaret.  Peace Tales.  August House, 2005.
Milway, Kate Smith.  One Hen.  Kids Can Press, 2008.
Mortenson, Greg.  Listen to the Wind.  Dial, 2009.
Nivola, Claire.  Planting the Trees of Kenya: the Story of Wangari Maathai.  Harcourt Children’s Books, 2008.
.Zalben, Jane Breskin. Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World.  Dutton
Juvenile, 2006.

Books Written and Illustrated by Jeanette Winter:
Angelina’s Island.  Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2007.
Beatrix.  Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2003.
Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book.  Harcourt, 2004.
Cowboy Charlie: the Story of Charles M. Russell.  Harcourt, 1995.
Follow the Drinking Gourd.  Knopf, 2008.
The House that Jack Built.  Dial, 2000.
Josefina.  Harcourt, 1996.
The Librarian of Basra: a True Story from Iraq.  Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005.
Mama: a True Story in which a Baby Hippo Loses his Mama during a Tsunami but Finds a New Home and a New Mama.  Harcourt, 2006.
My Name is Georgia: a Portrait.  Silver Whistle, 1998.
Sebastian: a Book About Bach.  Harcourt, 1999.
The Tale of Pale Male: a True Story.  Harcourt, 2007.

Books Illustrated by Jeanette Winter:
Winter, Jonah. Diego.  Knopf, 2007.

Websites:
http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm Arbor Day Foundation  
http://greenbeltmovement.org/w.php?id=61 Green Belt Movement  
http://www.treebenefits.com/calculator/  National Tree Benefit Calculator: 
Calculate the economic and ecological benefits of your tree
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/  Real Trees 4 Kids 
http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/106/27/  Kids Konnect: Trees 
http://www.treesforyou.org/Kids/kids.htm  Trees for Kids 
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/goplaces/0,12405,182117,00.html  Time for Kids Around the World: Kenya