Publishers Weekly
02/21/2022
In an educational tale of forest stewardship, Balouch tells the true story of the 40 days she spent as a child planting one million trees in a clear-cut area of Canada. Bell bottoms abound in vivid depictions of Balouch’s family (including pup Wonder Dog) traveling to British Columbia and setting up camp alongside fellow planters, 24 mostly French-speaking Canadians depicted with varying skin tones. Using easy storytelling, Balouch describes helping her light-skinned mother cook and bake for the camp, and assisting her brown-skinned father with the planting. French vocabulary and math problems are tucked throughout (“I made 4 apple crumbles. Each crumble needed 6 apples. How many apples did I use?”), and an infographic-like spread explains the four-step dig-wedge-tuck-pat process the planters employed with cedar, fir, hemlock, and pine seedlings. Balouch’s rough-hewn shapes, which have the feel and texture of cut paper, attend this idyllic 1970s-era tale about the positive impact people can have when they work together. Back matter includes an author’s note, which discusses old-growth trees. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
★ "A charming account of a family who went to Canada to plant a million trees. . . . Balouch uses childlike drawings to give the story an appealing authenticity. . . . This excellent resource about conservation and preserving nature has been ably rolled into a delightful reminiscence vividly retold."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
"[A] Tree-mendous autobiographical picture book. . . . Short, breezy recollections propel the narration. . . . The bright, expansive digital illustrations have a collaged-scrapbook appearance, chockablock with intriguing details. . . . Heartening lessons in ecology, math, and teamwork are smoothly sown."—Booklist
"An educational tale of forest stewardship. . . . Balouch's rough-hewn shapes, which have the feel and texture of cut paper, attend this idyllic 1970s-era tale about the positive impact people can have when they work together."—Publishers Weekly
"The simply written, straightforward text is rich with interesting information. . . . The digital illustrations—rendered in a naïve art style—are busy, making for detailed spreads that beg to be pored over; they also capture the British Columbia landscape, including its distinctive flora and fauna. . . . An intriguing tale that will plant seeds of environment consciousness in the upcoming generation."—Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
★ 01/21/2022
Gr 3–6—A charming account of a family who went to Canada to plant a million trees. The story is told through the eyes of the oldest daughter and features multiple learning opportunities: math problems, French words, interesting recipes to try, and plenty of facts about trees. The family camped with several other families and was tasked with planting tree plugs (seedlings) to replace trees in a section that had been cleared by lumberjacks. Balouch uses childlike drawings to give the story an appealing authenticity. The book resembles a peek inside a diary with drawings. There's a surprise ending: The author takes her children back to the site to see the beautiful tree farm she helped plant when she was a girl. VERDICT This excellent resource about conservation and preserving nature has been ably rolled into a delightful reminiscence vividly retold. —Cynde Suite
Kirkus Reviews
2021-12-27
A California family travels to British Columbia, where, along with a mostly French-speaking crew, they plant 1 million trees to revitalize a logged-over forest.
When author/illustrator Balouch was 10 years old, her family traveled to Canada to join a tree-planting operation. Forty years later, she recalls the remarkable experience. Readers follow young Kristen, her sisters, and their parents as they journey by seaplane to Vancouver Island, drive through backcountry, settle in to their campsite, and truck to the planting site each day for 40 days before flying home. Loving memories of the desserts Baluch helped her mother prepare for the large posse, a trusty old truck nicknamed Mad Dog, and downtime spent swimming with her siblings add a nostalgic touch. The simply written, straightforward text is rich with interesting information, offering nature-based math puzzles, a step-by-step tree-planting diagram, and French minilessons seamlessly woven into the narrative. Short asides featuring inside stories and snippets of intimate conversation between the young narrator and her family members appear in smaller print alongside the main text. The digital illustrations—rendered in a naïve art style—are busy, making for detailed spreads that beg to be pored over; they also capture the British Columbia landscape, including its distinctive flora and fauna. The tree-planting gang is surprisingly diverse for the time period, and a Native American tepee is shown amongst the campground tents. An author’s note provides further background about the project and explains the importance of old-growth forests.
An intriguing tale that will plant seeds of environmental consciousness in the upcoming generation. (Informational picture book/memoir. 7-10)
