Even little children can make a positive impact on the environment. Wangari Maathai grew up in Kenya, and her childhood was spent playing beneath mugumo fig trees. Over time, most of the trees in her area were cleared and she noticed how that made many people and animals suffer. Wangaari realized that trees are important for the health of the land and all who live on it, so she worked to plant millions of trees to make the land healthy again.

Kids will begin to see through Wangaari that it is never too late to help restore damaged land back to what it once was, and they can help their community take care of struggling environments.

Look for all of the books in the Big Ideas for Little Environmentalists series: Conservation with Jane Goodall, Preservation with Aldo Leopold, and Ecosystems with Rachel Carson.