Seeds of Change: Planting the Path to Peace
The Biography of Nobel Prize Winner, Wangari Maathai
“A wonderful picture book....Johnson doesn’t waste a line or word, everything leads to another fact. The author gives a reader (of any age) a great sense of who Wangari Maathai is, a woman who loves her country and believes in the power of trees to save." —The Happy Nappy Bookseller
Seeds of Change Awards
“Starred Review”
Kirkus Review
Kirkus Review
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Notable Children’s Books
Smithsonian Magazine Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustrations EMIERT/ALA Amelia Bloomer Project Feminist Task Force American Library Association (ALA) |
Green Earth Book Award Honor
Newton Marasco Foundation 2011 Notable Books for a Global Society list International Reading Association 2011-2012 Great Lakes Great Books Awards ballot Great Lakes Great Books |
“It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in.” --Wangari Maatha
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“This entry on Wangari Maathai takes a slightly more comprehensive look at her life than several other recent books. . . . Vivid colors sparkle from within the thick white outlines in the batik-style illustrations that fill the pages.” —School Library Journal
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Reviews of Seeds of Change
More Review & Interviews can be found on Jen's Blog
Harabee! Let’s Work Together!Wangari’s simple message of working together echos in her strength of character. She saved her country of Kenya by teaching women and children how to plant trees. As a young girl in Kenya, Wangari was taught to respect nature. She grew up loving the land, plants, and animals that surrounded her—from the giant mugumo trees her people, the Kikuyu, revered to the tiny tadpoles that swam in the river.
Although most Kenyan girls were not educated, Wangari, curious and hardworking, was allowed to go to school. There, her mind sprouted like a seed. She excelled at science and went on to study in the United States. After returning home, Wangari blazed a trail across Kenya, using her knowledge and compassion to promote the rights of her countrywomen and to help save the land, one tree at a time. Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace brings to life the empowering story of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman, and environmentalist, to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Engaging narrative and vibrant images paint a robust portrait of this inspiring champion of the land and of women’s rights. |
As a writer, educator, and urban environmentalist, her story inspired Jen to help deepen the connection between people and nature. Jen’s children’s book, Seeds of Change: The Wangari Maathai Story published by Lee & Low gives a percentage of the book sales to help environmental non-profit organizations. Each school visit, writer’s workshop, or author’s reading, we plant one tree in solidarity with Wangari Maathai and the Greenbelt Movement.
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