My family and I enjoyed this edition of Rebel Girls. Dr. Wangari Maathai's story was interesting, engaging, and there was so much wisdom in it. The illustrations really complimented the story.
We like that Rebel Girls includes additional activities and information at the end to expand upon the story.
Thank you Rebel Girls for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this. The illustration is very good, and even if this memoirs talked about things from years ago, the issue was still closely relatable nowadays.
It's empowering and inspirative.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE Rebel Girls?

The stories are fantastic, the books are appealing to look at and read, the length of the stories is just right for young readers, and the subject are fantastic!

Rebel Girls is doing a phenomenal job of finding diverse women, and interesting stories about lesser known heroines, to present as inspiration for a generation that has started their intellectual pursuits under much duress.

I just can't wait to have an entire bookshelf dedicated to Rebel Girls and strong women as a beacon to empower the young people (not just girls!) in my life

Thank you Rebel Girls!

This is the story of Wangari Maathai from Kenya who got educated with the support of her family which was rare during those days specially for a girl.
She enjoys nature, family, does very well in school and eventually receives a scholarship to attend university in the United States. When she arrives in the U.S. in 1960, she’s met with adversity due to her skin color. Even so, once again she excels in school, graduating after six years of education, and then eventually making her way back to Kenya.
When Wangari arrives back in Kenya to see her family, things have changed. The government is changing the landscape, and Wangari knows she needs to stop them before the whole of Kenya becomes a desert.

Dr. Maathai, as a young girl in Kenya, learns the importance of honoring the land and the things that grow on it. However, after she becomes a grown-up and learns to become as scientist in America, she returns to Kenya to an environmental disaster, and a home that looks nothing like what she remembers from being a child. How can she, just one person, help bring the land back to what it once was?

This story is an inspirational tale for girls (and boys) of all ages. What can one person do when they are determined to try?

It is an easier read but enjoyable even for older kids--and adults. You will learn something, and be inspired, by Dr. Maathai's story.

A other great book from Rebel Girls. Dr. Wangari Maathai Plants a Forest by Rebel Girls is a chapter book based on the life of Dr. Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who fights for the environment and the planet . It’s an important story for children and would be a great edition to any child’s library

Astoundingly wonderful storytelling. These Rebel Girls chapter books bring the stories of amazing women to our girls and empower and inspire them to make a difference. This non-fiction biography charts the story of Dr. Wangari Maathai and how even the smallest of our individual efforts can make major changes when many come together.
Wangari broke the mould for young Kenyan girls by attending school and earning a scholarship. She fought hard against prejudices against her race and her sex, both in America and Kenya, to make her voice heard.
Above all, Wangari loved her homeland and passionately believed in nurturing and protecting the land to enrich the lives of the people. She sought to plant trees to help improve the land, but had to fight against very powerful people in government in order to do her work even if it meant her husband leaving her, facing beatings, or imprisonment. This is a powerful and beautiful story, so wonderfully written with stunning illustrations. It is perfect for young readers at 128 pages. It has superb activities at the end, and a qr code brings you to a fabulous app, where you can listen to more stories, enjoy pictures, and find out about other fabulous women. For Audible users, you can enjoy listening to this story as part of your membership. It is so well narrated with fantastic sound effects. A brilliant edition to the Rebel Girls chapter books. I loved this as much as my kids. #drwangarimaathaiplantsaforest #rebelgirls #netgalley

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC.
As with all of the books from the Rebel girls series so far, this was amazing one as well.
Growing up in small kenyan village Wangari learnt about life from nature. Breaking tradition and going to school was a start to an amazing life, full of knowledge and fight for the planet and the environment so that all of mankind could be happy.
Nobel peace prize really did go into the right hands and this story was very heartwarming and also very courageous.

Dr. Wangari Maathai grew up in Kenya and loved the forest around her village. As the trees were chopped down, she began to see how the loss of those trees affected life for her family and neighbors. Dr. Maathia used her knowledge to replant trees and restore balance to the environment around her village. She also went on to win the first Noble Peace Prize awarded to an African woman. Her activism and environmental studies make her a role model for many.

A gentle story of growth that everyone deserves to hear. Dr. Wangari Maathai is a beautiful person that I am thankful to have learned her story. This book will be wonderful to teach young readers about how big of an impact one tiny person can make.

Another great addition to the Rebel Girls´ good night stories for girls, this time about a woman whose name wasn´t familiar to me but who had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She grew up in Nigeria as a girl who wasn´t allowed to visit school till her family decided she could go nonetheless, so she studied till University. She initiated several projects that come from her love and knowledge of Nature and her country and finally even went into politics. Great text and pictures and the usual bonus activities.
Thanks to Rebel Girls and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A great addition to the Rebel Girls chapter books. this format is great to get more information about these women and in a format that younger people would find enjoyable.
My 8-year-old niece would definitely enjoy this book and I look forward to adding it to her bookshelf.

I would like to thank Rebel Girls for providing me with a copy.

This is the first time I've read about Dr. Wangari Maathai and I love that this series is dedicated to discussing women that we don't always get to learn about. This is one of my favorite books that has come from Rebel Girls. Much of this book is going to sit with me for a long time. Everything from the themes to the changes that Dr. Wangari Maathai fought made for a very inspiring read. This was an amazing book about an amazing woman that I cannot recommend enough.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I like how she let nothing stand in her way and kept pushing; eventually getting people to believe in her and things in Africa changed. This would be good for kids,especially girls, who are into nature and change, to read.

This biography reads like a novel, which really helped my young readers get into the story. It does a great job of sharing important parts of Dr. Wangari Maathai’s life in a meaningful but age appropriate way. I also always love Rebel Girls illustrations too!

DR. WANGARI MAATHAI PLANTS A FOREST is a ten-chapter middle-grade book with some illustrations throughout and an afterword.

The illustration style is the same as the other Rebel Girls middle-grade chapter books.

Like other Rebel Girls books, there are activities in the back and they are tied to a charity/organization with a mission statement similar to what Dr. Maathai’s work was about.

Thank you to Rebel Girls for pre-approving me for a copy of this book.

I received a copy of the book by NetGalley but the opinions in this review are my own.

I have been reviewing books from the Rebel Girls series for a few years now and so I remember reading about Dr. Maathai in one of the previous books. I really enjoy seeing the work of the illustrator once again. I think it compliments well her story. I appreciated as well the storytelling, the fact that her work, her life was told a little bit more in-depth. Definitely one of the better books of the series in my opinion, even though I have enjoyed the other as well so far.

Review to come February 18th to blog/goodreads/etc..

I had no clue who Wangari Maathai is, though her name vaguely sounds familiar. Maybe I have read a few bits and bobs about her somewhere, but my mind just cannot remember everyone. XD In this book we meet Wangari, a girl living in Kenya. A girl who is very close with nature and her family. And a girl who gets the chance to fulfil her dreams when her parents allow her to go to school and from that point even to university and more. Wagnari loves science and biology and I just adored seeing her get all the chances. But of course, not everything is right. We read how she encounters racism. How her country is changing. From British rule to their own democracy. Well, I wonder if it is that much better given how is in control of the country. :| But she fights. She tries to make her country beautiful and save again. Because due to deforestation people are getting poorer. Water is harder to find. Mudslides are common. I loved how she build up an organisation. Visited women. Taught them about nature and planting trees. It was all very interesting to read and I was just rooting so much for Wagnari. Also quite worried given the government and how they reacted. It was all very inspirational to read, Wagnari did so much for her country. And then there are the absolutely gorgeous and fun illustrations.

Wangari was born and grew up in Kenya like so many other girls. But she went to the Catholic school, and when she graduated was given a scholarship to a university in the US. After her first four years, she went on even while her own country established freedom from the British. That freedom brought both positive and negative changes. She married while teaching women in botany and how things in the country could change in a good way through horticulture and the replanting of trees. Her husband was displeased with her work and left, but she and her children went on to the good. She and her work became a shining beacon to the greening of Kenya and a positive example to the whole world.
The illustrations by Eugenia Mello are beautiful, delightful, imaginative, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Rebel Girls via NetGalley. Thank you!

Since this was the first of the Rebel Girls books that I've had the pleasure of reading, I was unfamiliar with the way the chapters would be broken down. It took about two chapters for the fluidity of the storytelling to take shape for me, but that may be a "reader" issue and less of a "chapter organization" issue. Once the story started elaborating more on Dr. Maathai's educational journey, I was hooked! This book offers young readers an inspirational figure who took advantage of all that life had to offer but who also reached for what she had to take on her own. With beautiful colors and illustrations that perfectly complement the story, this is an excellent choice for young readers who are interested in delving into biographical books!