The Promise
K-Gr 4—This contemporary retelling of Jean Giono's L'homme qui plantait des arbres begins on the mean streets of a city, depicted in muted browns and dismal grays. The character admits to stealing from people. When she targets what she perceives to be a frail old woman, her life changes. The old lady gives the thief her purse, which is filled with acorns, and the girl realizes that she has made a promise to plant them all. She keeps her word and plants them everywhere in the gritty, ugly city, "among rubble, ruins, and rusty railings." As trees slowly start to grow, the people begin to smile, and they plant flowers, fruits, and vegetables "in parks and gardens, on balconies and rooftops." The illustrations turn to glorious full color as the world becomes a better place. The endpapers reflect the change from a sad story at the beginning to the positive, life-changing event at the end. A thoughtful book, told with simplicity, with a poignant message.—Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN