Maya and the Town that Loved a Tree: author and illustrator signed

Caught up in their everday routine, the citizens of a town that has grown into a big city don't realize that their parks and trees are dying

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Maya is a little girl who brings a healthy tree to an industrial city inhabited by dull, unsmiling people who stay inside watching TV all the time. The trees that once lived there have died from neglect and pollution. The child's tree becomes the center of attention, a park is created around it, and she teaches the lifeless people how to love clean air and the outdoors once more. The colorful artwork is childlike and primitive. The text and pictures are framed by colored borders with tiny black figures marching along the edges. The story is rather pedestrian, but presents a vitally important subject in easily understandable terms. Although not of the same high artistic quality as Cherry's The Great Kapok Tree (HBJ, 1990) or with the great impact of Brown's The World That Jack Built (Dutton, 1991), the book does give a basic description of the environmental pollution problem.
- Judy Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library , LA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.