The Last Tree

In this tree-centered narrative, Haworth-Booth warns how greed begets greed, subsequently highlighting the hope that a new generation may bring. “Once upon a time, a group of friends were looking for a place to live,” Haworth-Booth begins, following the group—made up of kids with subtly varied skin tones, all sketched in grayscale—into a forest, where they quickly make themselves at home. With the onset of winter, the group seeks fire and shelter, beginning a destructive journey that eventually leads to widespread deforestation, save for one spindly tree, and a wind-blocking wall constructed to demarcate the “perfect village.” But the wall breeds distrust; wanting to board up their windows and otherwise isolate their houses, each family sends their offspring to harvest the last tree—with unexpected results. Childlike yet detailed colored pencil drawings and comics-style speech bubbles and panels enliven this alluringly environmentalist, community-supportive narrative. Ages 4–8. [em](Mar.) [/em]