The Man Who Planted Trees

Several years ago, I read The Man Who Planted Trees and enjoyed it so much that I passed it on to a friend to read. With the release of the 20th Anniversary Edition, I decided this was a book that had to be reread and added to my library as an all-time favorite. My second reading was enjoyed even more than the first. Perhaps the wisdom I have garnered between readings has come to a fuller fruition. Jean Giono has created a marvelous character in Elzeard Bouffier, a man who found purpose in life by the planting of acorns that grew into magnificent trees. Since he never wandered far from his home, he was able to see the fruits of his labor and the complete revitalization of the landscape around him. It is no wonder that he seldom saw the need for talk. Seeing was both believing and self-fulfilling for him. The wood engravings by Michael McCurdy add beauty and simple elegance to the story. The picture of Elzeard Bouffier is exactly as Jean Giono portrays him: a kind and gentle soul, filled with peace and contentment with the earth in which he planted and walked upon. Although this is a book for the ages, for all ages, it finds special relevance for our time. Everyone can benefit from the reading of this little book.

One can read this book in less than an hour. That hour can be an exquisite calming experience, and one that talks about alternative ways of achieving satisfaction, while contributing to the place where he lives. It's not really a Johnny Appleseed book, even though it is about planting trees. Rather, it is about contributing to the health of the Earth, while contributing to the health of the individual.

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

Out of several versions of illustration on this book, I love the Frediric Back by far the best. His illustration adds so much more warmth and at the same time sentiment to this great story.

Jean Giono's inspiring story of the "man who planted trees" reached me some days ago as a birthday gift from my two sons.They thought it an appropriate gift for me probably because I am now engaged in an effort to grow trees in some land which I bought as a barren waste land. I found the book extremely inspiring.The interesting thing is that there indeed are unsung heroes and heroines in many parts of the world who do do such inspiring work without thought of reward.Some months back I read in Indian newspapers about a poor couple in the Karnatak state of India who decided to plant trees to assuage their sorrow in being childless.As they had no land of their own they decided to plant trees on the roadside.And ended up with magnificent avenue trees on miles and miles of the road near their village. There still seems to be hope for mankind!