The Mangrove Tree

Review
By Cooperative Children's Book Center

A cumulative narrative is one dimension of this picture book that tells how a project planting mangrove trees in the village of Hargigo, Eritrea, resulted in vibrant resource renewal. A more detailed narrative on the facing page of each spread describes how the trees were planted and their positive impact on the ecology and economy. They improve air quality. They provide food for animals and habitat for sea creatures, which in turn means food for the people to eat and sell. This inspired account is set against Susan L. Roth’s marvelous collage artwork. An afterword illustrated with photographs provides information about Japanese American scientist Dr. Gorton Sato’s work helping the people of Hargigo combat hunger with the mangrove tree project. Sato believes mangrove forests are one of the answers to poverty and hunger in the world.