“Lily fell in love with the forest one tree at a time.”
In Walking Trees by Marie-Louise Gay, a little girl named Lily and her father take a walk in the forest. Lily had never seen a forest before and it doesn’t take long before she falls in love with all the tall, green, leafy trees. Later, when she is asked what she wants for her birthday, she asks for her very own tree. She wakes up on her birthday to find a tree on the balcony of her 5th-floor apartment and she names it George. One day, Lily wants to show George how much bigger the world is than her tiny shoebox balcony, so she loads George into her wagon, takes it down the elevator and out to the sidewalk.
It’s a very hot day and as Lily pulls George down the street, she notes that George is the only tree on her street. One of her neighbours complains to Lily about the heat, saying that it never used to get this hot when she was young. When Lily rolls George closer to her neighbour, it casts a nice bit of shade, cooling her down. Lily walks George around her neighbourhood providing free shade for anyone who wants a bit of relief from the heat. Soon she has other kids asking their parents for their own trees and joining Lily on her walks. Before long they become a ‘walking forest’ providing shade, relief, beauty and relaxation to their urban neighbourhood.
Her tree had bright green leaves…”I’m going to call you George” whispered Lily
Walking Trees is a charming and inspirational children’s picture book about the importance of trees, especially in urban areas. They provide shade to combat the heat retained in cement and asphalt, and reduce both noise and air pollution. This fabulous story is one that can be read again and again and never get old. It has a great underlining message that one person can “change the world— one tree at a time”.
This fabulous story is one that can be read again and again and never get old.
Urban trees also have a huge impact on mental and physical health with the bonus of making the places we live more beautiful. As you read Walking Trees, you’ll notice that each page gets more colourful as the story moves along and the people in the story get happier and cooler, with a four-page gatefold as the grande finale. The many fun spin-off activities that can be done after reading this book can only add to our environment. Kids can plant a tree, plant and tend to a backyard garden, raise trees from seeds, and watch as they grow. I also see making popsicles as a spin-off activity and eating them in the shade of a tree, so that they don’t melt too fast.
Marie-Louise Gay was inspired to write Walking Trees after reading an article about an art project in the Netherlands called Bosk, which means forest. Thousands of trees were planted in huge wooden containers that were wheeled around the city by volunteers, providing shade and relaxation.
Walking Trees is Marie-Louise Gay’s 70th book that she has either Illustrated and/or written in her career. It was a 2024 finalist for the Quebec Writer’s Federation Janet Savage Blachford prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, where Hopscotch, also by Marie-Louise Gay, won!
Read about Marie-Louise Gay’s visit to AfterWords Literary Festival on our Patreon here!
Marie-Louise Gay is a Canadian children’s writer and illustrator. She has received numerous awards for her written and illustrated works in both French and English, including the 2005 Vicky Metcalf Award, multiple Governor General’s Awards, and multiple Janet Savage Blachford Prizes. She is from Montreal, Canada.
Publisher: Groundwood Books (March 5, 2024)
Hardcover 8″ x 10″ | 36 pages
ISBN: 9781773069760
Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
- Sue Sladehttps://miramichireader.ca/author/suesladereviews/
