Walking Trees by Marie-Louise Gay (2024)

Leave it to the Netherlands to come up with a “walking forest” to offer its citizens a bit of shade and peace. As a junior at Lake Forest High School, I was a part of an exchange student program and enjoyed spending two weeks in Den Haag, Netherlands. I was so inspired by the focus on cycling and environmentalism there. Walking Trees (2024) by Marie-Louise Gay is inspired by the walking forest. One morning, Lily wakes up in her crowded, hot city and asks her dad for a tree for her birthday. Perplexed, he explains that they live in an apartment with sparse space to plant a tree, but a loving parent never fails his kid! He finds a solution: a potted tree nestled on their tiny balcony! Lily proceeds to take her tree on walks, offering shade to elderly neighbors waiting for the bus. This neighborly trend catches on and soon other children are buying pet trees. As you will see, kindness branches out and the neighborhood is transformed.

Heart: My daughter immediately pushes away didactic books titled, “Just Be Kind,” or something of that nature, but stories like these simply captivate my kids. This story blends the power of kindness and the power of nature in such a sweet, simple way. You will not regret grabbing this new picture book at the library! 

Head: I’m a National Geographic subscriber and this book immediately made me think about urban heat islands. Climate change is heating up our cities at extreme levels and poorer neighborhoods that have less access to green spaces are bearing the brunt. I’ve read a number of articles about this and there are a variety of solutions. This picture book would be a fun way to kick off a science/social studies investigation into urban heat islands and the proposed solutions.