One Million Trees

February 21, 2022
In an educational tale of forest stewardship, Balouch tells the true story of the 40 days she spent as a child planting one million trees in a clear-cut area of Canada. Bell bottoms abound in vivid depictions of Balouch’s family (including pup Wonder Dog) traveling to British Columbia and setting up camp alongside fellow planters, 24 mostly French-speaking Canadians depicted with varying skin tones. Using easy storytelling, Balouch describes helping her light-skinned mother cook and bake for the camp, and assisting her brown-skinned father with the planting. French vocabulary and math problems are tucked throughout (“I made 4 apple crumbles. Each crumble needed 6 apples. How many apples did I use?”), and an infographic-like spread explains the four-step dig-wedge-tuck-pat process the planters employed with cedar, fir, hemlock, and pine seedlings. Balouch’s rough-hewn shapes, which have the feel and texture of cut paper, attend this idyllic 1970s-era tale about the positive impact people can have when they work together. Back matter includes an author’s note, which discusses old-growth trees. Ages 4–8.