Prévot, Franck. Wangari Maathai. Boston: Charlesbridge. 2015.

I read an outstanding book called Wangari Maathi by Frank Prévot. Wangari Maathi was born in Kenya at a time when girls normally did not attend school. So she helped her mom at home: gathering wood for the fire, looking after her siblings, and doing farm chores. One evening, her mother decided that her daughter should be educated. So Wangari went to school and earned a high school diploma at a time when some African women did not even know how to read. Wangari then moved to the United Stated for further studies. When she returned to Kenya five years later, everything had changed She saw Kenyans cutting down trees so they could use the land to grow tea, coffee, and tobacco wanted by rich countries. Wangari was shocked. She decided to take action. She started the Green Belt Movement, gathering a team of people and planting hundreds of trees. She was imprisoned several times because she took action against the government but every time she was released, she fought more. She did not give up. What a positive impact she had on her community! She was courageous and brave and believed in a better future for Kenya. Wangari eventually won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize award for all her hard work. – Avneet, grade 6

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