[.ca] The Man Who Planted Trees (ISBN 1570625387)

From Amazon.com:
The Man Who Planted Trees is not a detailed how-to guide to planting; it is a touching story of Elzéard Bouffier, who devoted his entire life to reforesting a desolate portion of Provence, in southern France. He single-handedly planted 100 acorns each day before, through, and after two world wars, and transformed a sorrowful place into one full of life and joy. Jean Giono's words offer a tribute to how much good one person can accomplish in a lifetime and advise on how to live life with deep meaning. Illustrated with moving, beautiful wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, The Man Who Planted Trees is simply written but powerful and unforgettable. The text is also available on tape, eloquently narrated by Robert J. Lurtsema and accompanied by music from the Paul Winter Consort.

wonderful story:
I first learned about this book through the online publication Heron Dance (which is wonderful too) They said it was an inspiration for starting their nature publication so I had to check it out. It really is a great story - shows that one person can indeed make a differece, even as the whole world is buzzing and "developing" all around. Its a wonderful book. This is a neat little pocket size version which I liked - I'm going to get some extra copies for stocking stuffers this year.

a truly inspiring tale:
I was given an audio tape of this haunting story narrated by Paul Lurtsema with background music by Paul Winter. I'd never heard of the story or author before. I found the combination of words, voice and music deeply moving, and felt it showed me a parable of what I could achieve with my own life. I am a solitary teacher and therapist. Like the man in the story, I experience my work as "planting seeds" and usually don't knowing whether they bloom or not. That may be why this was so meaningful a parable for me. I recommend the audio "multi-media" version of this beautiful story to anyone interested in taking their own life serieously, or wanting to suggest that treasure to another person without preaching. My true rating would be ten stars!

Will inspire you and your children to care for nature.:
The Man Who Planted Trees is the tale of Elzeard Bouffier, a man who, after his son and wife die, spends his life reforesting miles of barren land in southern France. Bouffier's planting of thousands and thousands of trees results in many wondrous things occurring, including water again flowing in brooks that had been dry for many years. The brooks are fed by rains and snows that are conserved by the forest that Bouffier planted. The harsh, barren land is now pleasant and full of life. Written by Jean Giono, this popular story of inspiration and hope was originally published in 1954 in Vogue as "The Man Who Planted Hope and Grew Happiness." The story's opening paragraph is as follows: "For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that, in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake." The Man Who Planted Trees has left a "visible mark upon the earth" having been translated into several languages. In the "Afterword" of the Chelsea Green Publishing Company's edition, Norma L. Goodrich wrote that Giono donated his story. According to Goodrich, "Giono believed he left his mark on earth when he wrote Elzeard Bouffier's story because he gave it away for the good of others, heedless of payment: 'It was one of my stories of which I am the proudest. It does not bring me in one single penny and that is why it has accomplished what it was written for.'" This special edition is very informative. Not only does it contain Giono's inspirational story, which is complemented beautifully by Michael McCurdy's wood engraving illustrations and Goodrich's informative "Afterword" about Giono, but it also contains considerable information about how wood and paper can be conserved in the section "The WoodWise Consumer." Goodrich writes about Giono's effort to have people respect trees. "Giono later wrote an American admirer of the tale that his purpose in creating Bouffier 'was to make people love the tree, or more precisely, to make them love planting trees.' Within a few years the story of Elzeard Bouffier swept around the world and was translated into at least a dozen languages. It has long since inspired reforestation efforts, worldwide." The Man Who Planted Trees is not only a wonderful story, it will inspire you and your children to care for the natural world. -Reviewed by N. Glenn Perrett

Great story:
This story was meant to be Jean Giono's gift to the world, but the publishers took over to make money. There are certain places on the web where you can still access this wonderful story the way in which the author intended.

Delightful!:
This is a wonderful read. It makes a great bedtime story and it is also beautiful (the wood carvings) and inspiring. This is good for people tired of reading what is wrong with the environment. The Man Who Planted Trees is kind of like a sophisticated Lorax book. Anyway, buy this book and enjoy it!