Seeds Of Change

Seeds Of Change

Juvenile biography/herstory
"'Feel,' her mother whispered.
Wangari spread her small hands over the tree's trunk. She
smoothed her fingers over the rough bark.
'This is mugumo,' her mother said. 'It is home to many. It
feeds many too.'
She snapped off a wild fig from a low branch, and gave it to her
daughter. Wangari ate the delicious fruit, just as geckos and
elephant did. High in the tree, birds chirped in their nests. The
branches bounced with jumping monkeys."
This morning I started drawing water for my bath and picked up
the next picture book on my sizeable stack. OMG! It's lucky for me
the tub didn't overflow and really cause a mess. Jen
Cullerton Johnson's Seeds Of Change, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler,
is one of those extremely rare picture books that totally takes my
breath away. Story, voice, and illustrations combine into a creation
that grabbed me and didn't let go.
When Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, was a child
growing up in Kenya, her mother taught her to treasure trees. It was
believed that beloved ancestors rested in their shade.
Wangari was the her family's oldest daughter which meant she had
many chores. Few Kikuyu girls were able to even acquire functional
literacy. But when she expressed a drive to go to school, her parents
managed to pay fees and buy supplies. After elementary school
continuing her education required moving further from home: to
Nairobi for high school and all the way to America for college and
grad school.
Returning to Kenya to teach at the University of Nairobi,
Wangari was in for a rude awakening. Big foreign companies were
engaged in systematic deforestation. Soil no longer held in place by
tree roots was being lost. Hunger was stalking her people.
To find a solution to this problem, Wangari went back to her
roots. Literally. The greedy capitalists tried to stop her by having
her arrested. Fortunately this was one of the few instances in the
modern world where good won out. Wangari left jail even more
determined to spread the word.
If you want a story for yourself or your children that engenders
hope and strength, if you read no other book this year, read Seeds of
Change. It was published in 2010, so you may have to get it through
interlibrary loan.
The voice of the narrative evokes the ancient oral tradition.
The words and tempo invite lingering, not rushing.
"Wangari was sad to leave, but she knew that what her mother
said was true. Wherever Wangari went, so went her family, her
village, and her Kikuyu ways. She kissed her family and said good-bye
to the mugumo tree, remembering her promise always to protect it."
The pictures invite even more lingering. Each is like a mosaic
with a thick white lines around sections. The colors are bold and
bright, as merited by African subjects. And the details are
enchanting. As Wangari and her mother eat wild figs, above them in
the trees you see a nest of birds, an agile looking lizard, and two
mischievous monkeys. The river abounds with frogs, polliwogs, and
fish as a long legged bird scans the water for a meal.
Ashley Bryan has to share his all time best (human, not just
black) children's book illustrator ranking in Jules World with Sonia
Lynn Sadler. I checked out her website. I have decided that when I
have worked my way from graduate school, earned my masters, and am
working professionally to help college students achieve their
potential I will save up and buy something she has painted. Now that
is quite the incentive!
On a personal note, I had a wonderful experience today. My friend Liv
Ruhlin had organized a student activist organization panel. I was on
it to represent Active Minds. It's an organization working to remove
the stigma surrounding psychological challenges. Each panelist had
five minutes. We all spoke with passion and conviction. Then we
answered a bunch of really good questions. In the evening I went to
Active Minds and told everyone about the panel. People were so happy
that I represented us.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the panel
and my Active Minds crew.
Jules Hathaway



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