Eco Girl

by Ken Wilson-Max, Ken Wilson-Max (Illustrator)

Overview

In a tender celebration of family tradition, a little girl becomes an environmental steward to express her love for all things leafy and green.

Eve loves living next to a forest because it means being close to her favorite baobab trees. Doing her best to imitate them, Eve practices patience. She feeds and shelters birds, just as her beloved trees do, stretching toward the sky as if her arms were branches. Eve longs to communicate with the leafy giants she admires, and while she can’t become a tree, she can contribute to the beauty of the forest—just like her dad and grandma before her—by nurturing her very own baobab seedling. Thoughtful text, intimate illustrations, and abundant back matter gently introduce the concept of land stewardship and the joys of giving back. Ken Wilson-Max’s picture book companion to Astro Girl celebrates reciprocity while honoring our connection to our own branching family trees.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536228090
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Series:	Wonder Kids
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	602,707
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 11.13(h) x 0.36(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ken Wilson-Max was born and raised in Zimbabwe and studied design in the UK. He is the author-illustrator of many children's books, including Astro Girl, and is the author of The Drum, illustrated by Catell Ronca. Ken Wilson-Max lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

To accompany his sweet storyline, Wilson-Max crafts lush illustrations depicting the verdant home of Eve’s family in Africa as she spends her birthday receiving a very special surprise and undergoing a poignant family tradition: planting a baobab sprout of her very own. . . . . The book closes with tree facts to pique the interest of young naturalists, plus a hopeful note about the Great Green Wall in Africa. . . Young readers with a love for fauna will indulge in Eve’s birthday celebration as she grows closer to Mother Earth and follows in the footsteps of her family.
—Booklist

A charming story that captures children’s curiosity about the natural world and their eagerness to be old enough to do the things they want to do. Illustrations drawn in thick black lines with beautiful washes of greens and punches of yellow, blue, and brown make for a warm and affectionate depiction of nature; readers will close this book eager to follow Eve’s worthy example. . . . A young naturalist’s delight.
—Kirkus Reviews

Back matter shares tree facts, encouraging readers to do their part to be “eco kids” by planting trees and learning more about trees and their role in our world. Bright acrylic illustrations will appeal to young readers, and Eve’s enthusiasm for nature practically leaps off the page with close-ups and bold colors.
—School Library Journal

The author, raised in Zimbabwe, tells of a little girl who looks after trees in the surrounding forest. . . A gentle lesson in traditions.
—The Pioneer Press

From the Publisher

06/30/2023

Gr 1–2—A young girl loves growing up on the edge of the forest. Eve is about to celebrate her birthday and wants to be seen for the maturing girl that she is. She wants to be thought of as a sapling rather than a sprout. And she wants to be Eco Girl, helping to look after the plants and animals. On her big day, her grandmother presents her with a baobab sapling and she plants it next to her dad's tree, which is next to generations of family trees. Eve promises to show patience and care for her new tree. Back matter shares tree facts, encouraging readers to do their part to be "eco kids" by planting trees and learning more about trees and their role in our world. Bright acrylic illustrations will appeal to young readers, and Eve's enthusiasm for nature practically leaps off the page with close-ups and bold colors. VERDICT A welcome addition to most collections looking to foster appreciation and stewardship of the natural world.—John Scott

School Library Journal

2023-03-29
A child longs to be a tree.

Eve, a young Black girl, lives on the edge of a forest in an unnamed African country where she can see baobab trees in the distance. She tells her parents she’d like to be a baobab tree, and when they reply that being a tree means being patient and taking care of animals and people, she insists that she’s up for the job—indeed she dubs herself Eco Girl as she sets out seed for the birds, looking after them the way the baobab does. To celebrate Eve’s birthday the next day, the family leaves to visit Grandma, who lives in the forest. On the big day, Eve welcomes a rainstorm, arms outstretched like a tree. When the rain stops, she and her family walk further into the forest while her Grandma leads, carrying a wrapped baobab seedling for Eve to plant in a very special place. This is a charming story that captures children’s curiosity about the natural world and their eagerness to be old enough to do the things they want to do. Illustrations drawn in thick black lines with beautiful washes of greens and punches of yellow, blue, and brown make for a warm and affectionate depiction of nature; readers will close this book eager to follow Eve’s worthy example. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A young naturalist’s delight. (information on baobab and other trees) (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews