Luna & Me: The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest

Reviewed by: Michelle Brenner - Casco Public Library, Casco, Choose Library District

Review Date: February 8, 2016

Review

Luna & Me The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest retells the story of how Julia "Butterfly" Hill courageously fought to save an ancient redwood by living in the tree for 738 days. The author does a wonderful job of making a very complex topic and story understandable for a child. She clarifies in the Author's Note that Butterfly is portrayed as a young girl instead of a woman in her early 20's to make it easier for children to relate to the story. The story shows what it was like to live in the tree and how hard it was to succeed in her quest to save the tree. The platform she lived on "was the size of a sandbox" and for exercise "she climbed barefoot to the very top of Luna every morning". It took a lot of teamwork and support from Butterfly's friends to succeed and that point is made as well. Kostecki-Shaw's acrylic and watercolor illustrations are beautiful with wonderful details of Luna and the nature of the forest. She writes in her author's note that camping with her family in the redwoods and spending a day at the base of Luna "fueled my illustrations with detail and magic". I would certainly agree. The changing layouts of the illustrations add even more interest to the story. This book would be an excellent resource for teachers to introduce environmental issues to children. The story also empowers children to make a difference and stand up for what they believe in.

Overall Book Score: excellent