The Great Kapok Tree
Encyclopedia
The Great Kapok Tree is an American children's picture book
about rainforest
conservation. It was written and illustrated by Lynne Cherry
, and was originally published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1990. The book is dedicated to Chico Mendes
, a Brazilian environmental activist who was murdered in 1988.
. A young man begins to chop down a kapok tree, following the orders of a "larger man". After he has hit the tree a few times with his axe, he sits down to rest and falls asleep. While he sleeps, several rainforest animals and a Ya̧nomamö child whisper into his ear and beg him to spare the tree, explaining its importance in the fragile ecosystem
. When the man awakes, he leaves his axe at the foot of the tree and walks away.
for inspiration, but then decided to travel to Brazil
to experience the rainforest firsthand. Arriving in 1989, she took a Jeep into the forest and spent several weeks sketching and photographing the animals she observed.
Cherry initially had trouble finding a publisher for the book, as it was deemed "too controversial". However, she refused to alter the basic message.When the book was released in 1990, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of Earth Day
, Cherry told a reporter, "When kids grow up, in another 20 years, they'll be the people making the decisions. If they're raised with these ideas ingrained in them, it will affect national policy. We will have raised a whole generation of environmentalists."
praised it for its "splendid paintings in tropical colors" but said the story was undermined by "soap-box oratory". Similarly, Susan Bolotin in the New York Times said the book had "lush illustrations" but suffered from "peculiar language" and "preachiness". However, the book proved to be a popular seller. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out within a few weeks after the book's release, and by 1995, it had sold a quarter-million copies. Many American elementary teachers started using the book in their classes, and the story even inspired some school plays.
The Great Kapok Tree has since received a Charlotte Award from the New York State Reading Association. It has also been named an NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, an American Bookseller's Association "Pick of the Lists", and an International Reading Association Teacher's Choice.
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
about rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
conservation. It was written and illustrated by Lynne Cherry
Lynne Cherry
Lynne Cherry is an American writer and illustrator of nature-themed children's books and a film producer. In 2009 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project....
, and was originally published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1990. The book is dedicated to Chico Mendes
Chico Mendes
Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes , was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples...
, a Brazilian environmental activist who was murdered in 1988.
Plot
The Great Kapok Tree is set in the Amazon rainforestAmazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. A young man begins to chop down a kapok tree, following the orders of a "larger man". After he has hit the tree a few times with his axe, he sits down to rest and falls asleep. While he sleeps, several rainforest animals and a Ya̧nomamö child whisper into his ear and beg him to spare the tree, explaining its importance in the fragile ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
. When the man awakes, he leaves his axe at the foot of the tree and walks away.
Inspiration
Lynne Cherry conceived the idea for The Great Kapok Tree while on a train ride between Washington, DC and Connecticut. Afterwards, she started studying photographs from the World Wildlife Fund and roaming through the New York Botanical GardenNew York Botanical Garden
- See also :* Education in New York City* List of botanical gardens in the United States* List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City- External links :* official website** blog*...
for inspiration, but then decided to travel to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to experience the rainforest firsthand. Arriving in 1989, she took a Jeep into the forest and spent several weeks sketching and photographing the animals she observed.
Cherry initially had trouble finding a publisher for the book, as it was deemed "too controversial". However, she refused to alter the basic message.When the book was released in 1990, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, Cherry told a reporter, "When kids grow up, in another 20 years, they'll be the people making the decisions. If they're raised with these ideas ingrained in them, it will affect national policy. We will have raised a whole generation of environmentalists."
Reception
Upon its release, the book received mixed reviews from some critics. Kimberly Olson Fakih in the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
praised it for its "splendid paintings in tropical colors" but said the story was undermined by "soap-box oratory". Similarly, Susan Bolotin in the New York Times said the book had "lush illustrations" but suffered from "peculiar language" and "preachiness". However, the book proved to be a popular seller. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out within a few weeks after the book's release, and by 1995, it had sold a quarter-million copies. Many American elementary teachers started using the book in their classes, and the story even inspired some school plays.
The Great Kapok Tree has since received a Charlotte Award from the New York State Reading Association. It has also been named an NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, an American Bookseller's Association "Pick of the Lists", and an International Reading Association Teacher's Choice.