Review Detail

THE GIRL WHO PLANTED TREES is a lovely picture book about conservation, community, and patience. A young girl sees a picture of the mountain next to their town from the past. Although it is dry and dusty now, it was once covered in a lush forest, before people began cutting down the trees. The little girl dreams of growing a forest there, so she begins with a pip that she has from her fruit. Then, she begins to gather them from her neighbors. As they grow, the townspeople also begin to take notice.

However, a strong storm comes through, and her trees are too little to survive. The little girl is saddened, but she still holds her dream, allowing the plants to grow in her barn and become stronger before taking them up the mountain. When it begins to seem impossible, the others in her community help. While it takes many years, when she is older, the mountain is covered in a beautiful forest once again.

What I loved: This was such a lovely story about community and the joy of nature. The little girl's story is so heartfelt as she imagines something beautiful and works to make it that way. There are strong messages of helping the world around us and the importance of greenery, not just for nature but also for the people who live around it. Planting a whole forest seems like a big job for one person, but the story also shows the power in what one person does, as others see and begin to help.

Ultimately, there are lovely messages of community, patience, and following your dreams as the little girl must persevere and problem solve to help create the forest she dreams of having on her mountain. The story also has little callouts to the reader here and there that help keep little ones engaged and to help the story resonate with them.

The writing flows smoothly and tells her story well. The structure and phrasing really captures the emotions of each part of the story, as do the illustrations. The imagery is really lovely throughout and captures people and the beauty of nature well on each page. Clever use of multi-image panels in key scenes also help bring the story to life.

The font itself is easy to read and clear throughout. Notably, the book also includes a QR code for readers to experience the story as an audiobook. The audiobook is really well done also with sounds for when to turn the page that add to the experience.

Final verdict: THE GIRL WHO PLANTED TREES is a lush and beautiful story about the power of community, a dream, and perseverance. This story will work well for preschoolers and up.