The Last Tree ( Ages 4+ )
By : Ingrid Chabbert & Raul Nieto Guridi
Publisher : Kids Can Press ( April 2017 )
A moving tale about the innocent attempts of two boys trying to save a little sapling. Their touchng efforts to protect the plant and the story`s underlying warning about a greenless future would encourage children to learn more about the threats to the environment, and the need to conserve it.
Two boys living at a future date, when the sight of a tree or a patch of grass are a rare treat, discover a tiny sapling growing in the middle of a vast city. The plant fascinates them endlessly. They suspect it to be the last tree. The kids admire it for a long time and dream about it being a grown tree. Later they learn about a proposed high rise building that will commence at the same place where the plant is. The kids try desperately to save it. They remove it from the construction site and carry it to a far away place, where they plant the sapling and make a silent wish to the stars - to guard it: the last tree!.................Our proganist return years later as an adult to meet the grown tree.
The childrens` longing for a greener world to roll over and play, to experience what thay get to see and read only in books and through childhood tales of their fathers urge them to protect this one last plant: this simple yet emotionaly strong tale could certainly touch the hearts of young readers. It`s expressive and uncluttered illustrations carry the message of the text well. The ashy backdrops on the pages create the perfect ambience for the story and depicts the tree-less - and color-less - world.
( With many thank to Kids Can Press and NetGally for the ARC )
