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Mama Miti

Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya
Mar 24, 2014
Similar in structure and cadence to a folktale, this introduction to environmental activist Wangari Muta Maathai -- winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize -- gives its audience an inkling of Maathai's importance to her Kenyan homeland. In this much-simplified version of her life story, women from all over Kenya come to ask "the wise Wangari" for advice, and Wangari (who founded Kenya's Green Belt Movement) tells them what sorts of trees to plant to solve each particular problem. "Vibrant collage artwork" (Booklist), created using oil paints and printed fabrics, depicts Kenya's people and landscapes with colorful grandeur. For a look at a very different woman who left an equally green legacy, try The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins. March 2014 picture books newsletter