By Ken Wilson-Max, Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Publication Date: 2026
Joy for Books Review Score: 93%
Description from Bookshop.org: It’s another hot day in Mali, at the edge of the desert, and Mariam and Issa know something special is about to happen. As they play in the shade and make clapping rhythms with their hands, Mum and Dad make their own kind of music with shovels, poking holes in the dry earth. When Uncle Cedric arrives, the children ask him what all the plants and baby trees in the back of his car will be for. “The future,” he says, with a smile. Taking part in creating this future is a whole community of people: neighbors balancing buckets of water on their heads, children carrying unplanted seedlings into the cool shade, grown-ups planting and watering over and over again. It’s all part of the Great Green Wall, a project intended to stretch across the African continent at the edge of the Sahara, affecting millions of people in eleven countries. As readers learn in a final informational spread, planting more trees not only helps reduce carbon in the air, it also helps prevent desertification, preserving the rainforest and all the living creatures who rely on it to survive.
Joy for Books reviewer comments: "Wow! This book is amazing. Centering children in this story about a movement was very smart. There are several sound cues used that make this book a wonderful read-aloud. I love the style of the illustrations. They are unique, vibrant, and engaging. This story would be an excellent example of ecological literacy, as it centers the Great Green Wall of Africa. It includes back matter on how to plan a tree. I loved this book!"
By Ken Wilson-Max, Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Publication Date: 2026
Joy for Books Review Score: 93%
Description from Bookshop.org: It’s another hot day in Mali, at the edge of the desert, and Mariam and Issa know something special is about to happen. As they play in the shade and make clapping rhythms with their hands, Mum and Dad make their own kind of music with shovels, poking holes in the dry earth. When Uncle Cedric arrives, the children ask him what all the plants and baby trees in the back of his car will be for. “The future,” he says, with a smile. Taking part in creating this future is a whole community of people: neighbors balancing buckets of water on their heads, children carrying unplanted seedlings into the cool shade, grown-ups planting and watering over and over again. It’s all part of the Great Green Wall, a project intended to stretch across the African continent at the edge of the Sahara, affecting millions of people in eleven countries. As readers learn in a final informational spread, planting more trees not only helps reduce carbon in the air, it also helps prevent desertification, preserving the rainforest and all the living creatures who rely on it to survive.
Joy for Books reviewer comments: "Wow! This book is amazing. Centering children in this story about a movement was very smart. There are several sound cues used that make this book a wonderful read-aloud. I love the style of the illustrations. They are unique, vibrant, and engaging. This story would be an excellent example of ecological literacy, as it centers the Great Green Wall of Africa. It includes back matter on how to plan a tree. I loved this book!"