Tag the importance of trees

Scotty Plants a Seed

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A big thank you to Little Door Books for inviting me to participate in this blog tour.

Scotty Plants a Seed
Conn Iggulden and Lizzy Duncan
Little Door Books

Scotty is a small black dog living on the island of Mull with a fisherman, having been blown in by a storm. One day, deciding the pup needs a collar, the fisherman takes down the one that had once belonged to Scotty’s mother and places it around the pup’s neck. Hanging from it is a tag that neither of them can read but it certainly has an effect on Scotty. Off he races to see his friend Owl and show off his brand new collar.

Owl declares that the writing on the tag is old, which impresses Scotty but he then pees against Owl’s tree displeasing his friend who is further upset at Scotty calling his home ‘a sort of a stick, but well, bigger instead.’

As Owl proceeds to talk of the wonderful trees he has seen – the shady banyan and the enormous Caoba – he notices Scotty’s collar begin to glow

and suddenly the pup disappears. Seemingly his collar fob acts as some kind of transportation device taking him first to India

and then to Brazil. There Scotty sees the two trees Owl spoke of, but manages to displease first a group of children and then a monkey by peeing.

When Owl catches up he’s both exhausted and without much of his plumage:Scotty though is eager to visit the plains of Africa. There a ranger points out an area of reforestation. ‘Just one little voice – just one seed in the ground, / One voice that can wake the whole world with its sound!’ he says to Scotty.

Eventually the two friends return to Owl’s tree, Owl almost completely sans feathers and guess what Scotty does. You can probably guess too what they both do the following morning …

Told through a rhyming narrative and bold, dramatic illustrations that capture the grandeur of the trees and contrasting desolation of a felled forest, this environmental adventure is an unusual way of presenting the alarming fact that trees all over the world are in danger. However it’s also one of hope, encouraging the vital importance of planting trees and caring for those we already have. Nobody is too small to make a difference.

Don’t forget to search for the hidden seed on every spread.

Eco Girl

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Eco Girl
Ken Max-Wilson
Otter-Barry Books

Eve loves the forest beside her home; she loves the animals and birds, but most of all she loves the trees, her favourite being the Baobab tree. Do those trees talk to one another, she wonders wishing that she could be a Baobab and hence talk to the other trees. To be a tree is to be patient her mother tells her and later her father says that each tree plays its own special role in caring for the living things in the world.
Soon after, on a pre birthday visit to her Grandma deep in the forest, after remembering to be patient on their long walk, Eve asks her grandmother, “Would you talk to me if I was a Baobab tree?” Delighted by the response and Grandma’s mention of the next day being a special day, Eve can hardly wait.

Next morning, she gets a magical surprise. Carrying something, Grandma leads her into the forest.

What could it be? It’s something very special that Eve must plant, love and take care of, something that will connect her for ever with the forest she so delights in. That, she proudly assures her Grandma, is something she definitely can do. Many happy returns of the day, Eco Girl.

Heart-warming and inspiring, this is a lovely demonstration of the importance of planting and nurturing trees wherever you live in the world. I love the vibrant colours of the illustrations, especially the variety of greens in the forest landscape.

(After the story are some tree facts including a mention of Wangari Maathai who started the Green Belt Movement in Kenya.)

The Little Green Hen

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The Little Green Hen
Alison Murray
Orchard Books

Alison Murray has reworked the original Little Red Hen traditional story giving it an environmental slant. Herein her main character resides in the hollow trunk of a large apple tree growing atop a hill.

The Little Green Hen cares for the tree and sows the apple seeds to grow more trees. Before long an orchard has sprung up and she’s in need of some assistant cultivators.
“Who would like to help me tend the apple trees?” she asks. Peacock is too busy preening himself but Dog offers his help as assistant pruner.

Requests for assistance with bug control and seed sowing are turned down by Fox and Cat respectively but she finds willing helpers in Sparrow and Squirrel. Throughout the year the new friends tend the orchard and all are rewarded by its bounties.

As autumn turns to winter, down comes the rain, day after day, week after week.

The industrious friends are safe, warm and dry in the old apple tree but Peacock and Fox are flooded out of their homes and seek refuge on Cat’s log.

Fortunately for the trio, The Little Green Hen is big-hearted enough to offer them a place of safety and together they wait for the flood waters to recede.

When the sun finally reappears, it’s time to clean up.

How will the Little Green Hen’s call for help in cleaning up the mess be received by her guests?

Fortunately for all the animals and of course, the orchard, the word is now teamwork.

Thanks to this and the thirsty roots of the new young trees, a new orchard grows up providing food and shelter for all to share.

Alison Murray’s crisp, clean-cut illustrations have a pleasing freshness and the body language and facial expressions of her characters capture their changing feelings eloquently.

Great for individual or story time sharing.

Last Tree in the City / Madeline Finn and the Library Dog

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Last Tree in the City
Peter Carnavas
New Frontier Publishing

Edward lives in a city, one that appears totally devoid of beauty or colour. However, he knows of a tiny oasis in this concrete jungle.
At the end of his street stands one last tree and for the little boy (and his companion duck) it’s a place of joy; a place surrounded by nature where the two would spend many a happy time.

One day however disaster strikes: Edward’s tree has gone.

He’s devastated; but then he makes a discovery that brings hope to his heart, a tiny glimmer of hope that just might alter the city’s future in the very best way possible …

With minimal words and superbly eloquent watercolour and ink illustrations, Peter Carnavas has created a modern fable that has much to say to all of us; not only with its subtle ecological message but also with the empowering thought that one person really can make a difference.

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
Lisa Papp
Old Barn Books

Madeline Finn, the story’s narrator, is a reluctant reader: she really does NOT like to read anything at all, not even the menu on the ice cream van. The trouble is that she finds the whole reading thing very hard work and sometimes her classmates make fun of her attempts at reading aloud. “Keep trying,” her teacher tells her giving her ‘Keep Trying’ hearts for her efforts.

Madeline though is desperate for a star sticker but those are only given to ‘good readers’: that teacher really needs to think about what she’s doing there.
On Saturday, Madeline’s mum takes her to the library where the girl reminds the librarian of her dislike of reading.

Miss Dimple however shows her a room where children are reading to dogs and offers her the opportunity to do likewise, introducing her to Bonnie, a large white dog.
Bonnie is a great listener; she ‘s non-judgemental, forgiving and patient; and week by week Madeline gains the confidence to make mistakes, to go at her own pace, and to take risks as she continues to read to the dog.

After many weeks, she is ready to read out loud at school. She starts out a bit wobbly but imagines herself reading to Bonnie and suddenly she’s done it.
Lisa Papp’s gentle watercolour illustrations capture the little girl’s feelings so beautifully in this encouraging story, which has a lovely surprise ending, both for the main protagonist and for readers.

I’ve signed the charter