A Story for Earth Day

In a previous post about children's books, A book is a gift you open again and again, I wrote about my quest of finding good children's picture books. Recently, one of our teachers pointed me towards a book which has become my absolute favourite.

The Tin Forest, by Helen Ward is a story about an old man's persistent dreams which transform a garbage dump into a forest full of life.

“There was once a wide, windswept place, near nowhere and close to forgotten ...” And in the middle of this wasteland lives an old man in a small house. "Every day he tried to clear away the garbage, sifting and sorting, burning and burying. And every night the old man dreamed." Every night he dreams of a real tropical forest.

One day he has an idea and goes to work on it. From the garbage he builds a forest. He uses tin, metal, glass and other scraps to build trees, and animals and flowers. Then one day a bird visits one of the trees. The old man feeds the bird some crumbs. He makes a wish and the bird returns, this time with a mate and seeds. As time passes from the earth sprout shoots and soon there are insects, and other living creatures.

“There was once a forest, near nowhere and close to forgotten .... And in the middle of this forest lived “an old man who never stopped dreaming.”

The Tin Forest is a wonderful book for all ages, with beautiful stunning artwork and prose. It is an empowering story about the power of dreaming and hard work, about not giving up and believing in the future. There is also a strong environmental message in the story, which can initiate discussions about rubbish disposal, recycling, and reusing. Our world may sometimes look like a dump, however, with a change in attitude we can make it a better place to live!

"He made a forest because he doesn't want a whole place of garbage. Because that is soooo boring." - D, 4 yrs

The Tin Forest is magical. A true gem! An inspiring story for Earth Day!

- Anja

image source: Salisbury International Art Festival