Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya

I'll confess when I agreed to accept a pre-publication review copy of this book for Amazon Vine, I didn't know who Wangari Maathai was. As I read the read this story about her life, I loved it. I thought, based on Donna Napoli's writing, that she learned about plants from her people and her elders, and later spread this knowledge on to others. She helped them by giving them knowledge that empowered them to help themselves, in what the author refers to as "the green belt of peace". The grassroots effort to restore the vitality of the land through the planting of trees was inspiring.I feel that the story and its repeating phrases will be of interest to young children. It is perfect for a read-aloud.As an adult reader I didn't feel the story was entirely clear to explain how planting the trees made Kenya more peaceful (there was a gap of content there), so I'm not sure that children aged 4-8 will understand that either. However I enjoyed the rest of it, and liked the good messages the book conveys.I was enthralled by the story of living in harmony with nature, knowing the value and use of trees, and not JUST living in a sustainable way but of actually rejuvenating a land that had been abused, having been stripped of trees by man. The picture book has a message of pro-environmentalism, and is uplifting in tone and leaves the reader feeling hopeful. I am grateful the book has a positive tone not an oppressive one like some other books have that tell young kids that `the Earth is doomed'.I can imagine this being used by school teachers and nature educators. It seems perfectly suited for inclusion in academic studies or pleasure reading about `green living' or `sustainable agriculture' or for general environmental content, or in a botany unit.The fact that this is about Africa (Kenya) and features a powerful African woman means it will be appreciated by anyone seeking to use children's picture books featuring the topic of geography, Africa, or positive African-American role models. (Please read my review through to the end for more on this.)Although it is not mentioned in the text of the book, Maathai was the winner of a Nobel Peace Prize this book so this can also be used in biography studies based on those winners which some schools and homeschools do. It can be used in earning the Cub Scout Bear rank (the requirement to read a book about a person who helped the environment).The illustrations are fantastic. I could tell right away that the collages were composed of fabrics from Africa and I loved that! This is mixed-media, as illustrator Kadir Nelson used oil paints to paint the faces, hands and other body parts.--I'm struggling with my opinion of the book now that I've done more research after my curiosity was piqued by reading this book. After the second read-through I read the two pages of information at the back of the book written for adults. It tells more about Maathai, the Green Belt Movement and of her having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. It was in this section that I started to learn of the "deception by omission" of this book. I went on to read more on the Internet including direct quotes from Maathai and watching videos of her speaking about her life and work.I understand this is a picture book for kids aged 4-8 and I am aware that complicated stories and biographies must be simplified and brought down to a certain level to be age-appropriate. However at present teachers, authors and publishers seem to have no issue with scaring kids about humans destroying the Earth and giving a message to take action to stop or fix the environmental problems that the adults before them created.I would think then, that kids could handle the omitted facts that it is not common for girls in Kenya to go to primary school and college. Maathai defied the odds and both those things including earning a bachelor and master degree in America with scholarships. She studied for her PhD first in Germany and finished in Africa, being the first African woman to get a PhD. How much of her science degrees were to credit for teaching her the botanical information she used with the Green Belt Movement, I do not know (versus the story's depiction of this wisdom being passed down from elders in the village). It seems to me that all kids could stand to hear an inspiring story about formal education and college degrees being good and useful in the real world.Maathai's experience in America witnessing free speech in action in Vietnam War protests and seeing the `common people' protesting and trying to make change is what she credits as the source of her inspiration to go on to create a grassroots movement in Kenya. The fact that ideas and freedoms in America (not something happening in Kenya at that time) played such a key role in who Maathai became as a person, and how it affected her life work is absent from the book. (What a shame.)The issue of the negativity she faced and the discrediting the African men in the government and the community did just because this was a grassroots movement comprised of women is unbelievable. That she stood up to this to make real progress is commendable. Again, I don't know how much of this part of her story would be right for a children's picture book but my point is that Wangari Maathai's story is not all nicey-nice nor was it easy as Napoli's story implies.In the end this book makes a good story pushing a couple of good environmental messages (which some may label as propaganda). My larger concern is that this book romanticizes what are actually the oppressive traditional African values that Maathai and other women struggled against.As to the rating, I'm torn. If I didn't know the more complete story I'd rate this 5 stars for the writing and 5 stars for the illustration. However I'm bringing it down to 3 stars = It's Okay due to the fictionalization of this story for the intention of pushing certain messages to children while leaving out other positive messages.Postscript: Lest you think I hate the book, I don't. I liked the book enough to have already purchased a copy to give as a gift to someone seeking books about botany and the environment.

The story and pictures were engaging and my two young kids really enjoyed the story.

Beautiful illustrations. And a nice summary of her story. Written in prose.

The artwork is striking. The story of Wangari Mathai is told very simply, which is fine for small children. There are few details (and little logical connection as to how a woman who needs food or firewood now/today is going to be helped by planting a tree which will take years to grow and produce them) but the concept of why we should plant trees and the variety of things that trees provide us, comes through in almost a poetic style.

Great lessons about 1 person making a change for our planet - one tree at a time

Such a lovely lovely tale of a wonderful human that used our Earth to make things healthy and good for all.

A children's story of how Wangari Maathai became one of the world's leading environmentalists. Should get children interested in a subject they probably never thought of but who will be most harmed by it.

Great book

This is a great children’s story of a great woman. I learnt some interesting facts about Dr Maathai from the text, and the illustrations are breathtaking. This is a must have book for those parents/carers who are inspiring their children through knowledge of great African people.

Great drawings, and a valuable message for all. Important for kids to see African women caring for the environment. Positive representation of Africans doing it for themselves.

The importance of social responsibility and environmental activism

If you love Trees or Africa or People you will love this book, though aimed at children, it has a powerful message to share and you will probably want to plant a tree every time you read it.

Great story