The Big Green

About this book

Maryam and Issa live in Mali, at the edge of the Sahara Desert. It’s too hot to run around, but the children are excited when their Uncle Cedric arrives with a car full of plants.  

Mum, Dad and all the neighbours arrive to dig holes in the dry desert and water the holes. Then they plant the seedlings. Everyone works hard and then celebrates, knowing that they have made a difference in their world. Then they wait. 

In a few months’ time, life under the trees has started again. There are green places, there is food and there are cool places for Maryam and Issa to play. There is a bright future ahead. 

Ken Wilson-Max’s lovely story is based on the planting of the Great Green Wall of Africa, a project involving people from 11 countries that aims to slow down the spread of the desert by planting trees and plants. This inspiring book shows the real-life impacts of an important and hopeful environmental project on children’s lives, and also comes with a guide to planting trees at the back of the book.

About the author