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Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth was a book that jumped out on the shelf when we passed it in the library so I grabbed it. My husband and I had a trip to Florida before we were parents and we learned about mangrove trees on the strangest tour of the everglades that I had ever had. One of the people on the tour actually asked the person to stop talking so that we could ride of the boat more. It became a big joke between us because the tour guide was a little in love with the mangrove trees and we had never heard of them before... for the longest time I thought he was saying mango trees and I was wondering where the fruit was. I thought that the book would entertain my husband (and teach my son a little science).
In this book, there are two stories going. One is the simple kids story that you can read through with the wonderful pictures. It is a short story that is very melodic that young kids will like. It has a lot of repetition and still provides lots of information about the mangrove trees and how they were introduced to the area to help people live better.
On the other side of the page, there is a more detailed and factual information that is great for the older kids. The book takes place in Eritrea, an African country, in a little village called Hargigo. The families and animals were hungry because of the dry climate but it all changed because of the mangrove tree. The animals eat the leaves of the trees and with a mix of mangrove seeds and dried fish, the animals started producing more milk to feed their young. The animals started to live longer and have more offspring. The people use the mangrove branches to cook food and there is more meat and milk so the children are healthier. The roots of the trees provide hiding spots of small fish, crabs, shrimp and oysters so the fisherman catch more fish to feed their families. All of the life in the small town had improved and they introduced this into many other struggling towns to help those towns see the same positive changes as Eritrea.
The book talks about lots of different science including carbon dioxide to oxygen change that plants help facilitate. It goes through the process of fertilization and how the women used iron rods and bags with holes to help slowly fertilize the trees while they were growing. All of the science information is mixed in with the story so the kids won't even know how much they are learning while listening to the story.
It is hard to read both and keep the rhythm going but I did read both parts and still managed to enjoy them both. At the end, there were pictures and descriptions about the actual growing of the trees which seemed to interest my son a lot. It is always interesting to know that the information that they read is real and pictures certainly let them know that.
I was going to do some activity to go with this book but we were busy with Halloween and didn't get to do something mangrove tree specific. I did find an interesting page online that I would love to share for anyone looking to do an activity following reading this book. Please check it out here. It is a PDF document from the RIF (or Reading is Fundamental) which goes through a few different things including a snack, craft and more. I hope that it is helpful if you want to add another dimension to the education with this book. There is also some information on the publishers website for teachers but it aimed at around 3rd grade level but there are some things that can be taken from it to be used for younger kids.
If you are looking for a little bit more, it might be a good book to read in the spring and plant a little cup of grass. My son and I did that activity here if you want to see more about how different things affect the grass growing.
It would also be a great book to read before visiting Florida where there are many of the mangrove trees to see or even more locally if you are going to an animal petting zoo to see goats and sheep because the children may better appreciate why these animals are important to our survival because out in the suburbs, we certainly don't see that everyday.
I hope that you check this book out at your local library or book store soon. We enjoyed the book and I hope that you do to!
I lived in Florida for a number of years and absolutely love mangroves. They are so interesting how they stay small and you can tell where the high tide line is by the tops of their roots. I think I'd enjoy this for my son. Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from Moms Library!
ReplyDeleteIt was a really interesting book and with the story mixed with the real pictures, it is educational for kids and adults alike :)
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