Kate Sessions: The Tree Lady of San Diego (ages 5-10)

Growing up, I used to think that our outlook on life was shaped (in part) by the landscape you saw driving to work or school. I felt so lucky to drive through open, grass-covered hills dotted with oak trees. I immediately felt a kinship to Kate Sessions, when I read The Tree Lady, by H. Joseph Hopkins. It's a wonderful picture book biography that shows a woman taking action to improve her environment.

The Tree Lady:
The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever
by H. Joseph Hopkins
illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Simon & Schuster, 2013
ages 5 - 10
your local library
Amazon
*best new book*

From the publisher's description:

After becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science, Kate Sessions took a job as a teacher far south in the dry desert town of San Diego.
Kate decided that San Diego needed trees more than anything else. So this trailblazing young woman single-handedly started a massive movement that transformed the town into the green, garden-filled oasis it is today. Now, more than 100 years after Kate first arrived in San Diego, her gorgeous gardens and parks can be found all over the city.

Sessions was determined to pursue her passion and find solutions to problems she saw. She was a trail-blazer thinking about sustainability, important issues especially in California. Want to learn more? I especially liked Lisa Taylor's review over at Shelf-employed.

Kate Session arrives in San Diego

Balboa Park, San Diego, 1915

Do you want to share more with kids? I think they'd be interested in this video from the San Diego Historical Society.



The San Diego History Center also has more information on Sessions and Balboa Park.

The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers, Simon & Schuster. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2014 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books