Book Cover of The Three in My Garden
“Trees are amazing. To think we ever chopped them down. To think we’re still chopping them down!” ~ Kate Bradbury
Climate change deniers, beware. Bradbury is writing from a very strong place of climate advocacy. In the first tiny chapter, she introduces the grim state of affairs, citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warns that time is running out to act to avoid catastrophe. It’s heavy stuff in just one paragraph.
One page later she’s acknowledging that we alone can’t turn the tide and advocates for joining forces with environmental organizations even as she encourages us to do something. She says, “there’s something about tree planting that gives us ownership of the issue - that rewards us for and reminds us of what we’ve done. . . trees are great. They root us to the land and connect us to the seasons.”
Bradbury’s mission, I believe, is for us all to recognize our one tree won’t change the world, but all of our trees? That’s powerful. With beautiful illustrations by Lucille Clerc, Bradbury eloquently explains how trees work, the difference between natives and non-natives, and profiles a wide variety by type and size. Whatever your space, you’ll find a suitable tree in The Tree in My Garden.