This book is 30 pages in length and, in the first reading, appears to be intended for children.

Also discover our whole range of programs for children, including Summer Camps, Scout Programs, Home School Days, K–8, Family Story Time, and more.Book Reviews Research Notes Botany Resources So please join us when Lynne Cherry visits Longwood Gardens on March 7, to celebrate our Family Community Read Day and the 25th anniversary of The Great Kapok Tree. Its voice is the spirit of the kapok tree, and it is also the spirit of our Community Read: “All living things depend on one another.” Listen to the bee who buzzes in the sleeping man’s ear. Listen to the plants and animals around you. Just as the rain forest animals whisper to the woodcutter in the story of The Great Kapok Tree, our own relationship with the places we love starts by listening. In this program co-sponsored by The Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project of West Chester University, What's the Buzz? allowed kids to explore the Gardens and share their discoveries through writing. The best way to know something is to experience it firsthand. Now she reports that 'the films pack an emotional punch: they often bring adults to tears, but they empower youth.'

But her belief in the project-in the power of young role models to inspire peers to action-kept her going. Production began in 2008-2009, and at first she was told the movies weren't very good. She had never directed before, but got lots of help and pointers along the way. Lynne admits that the transition from books to film wasn’t easy. In each of these films, the voices of children breathe new life into the story and spirit of The Great Kapok Tree.

To this effect, Lynne has produced a series of short films called Young Voices for the Planet (YVFP), which share youthful success stories of actions taken on behalf of Planet Earth. As director of Young Voices on Climate Change (YVCC), she teaches kids that their voices can change the world as surely as the whispers of the animals that saved the kapok tree. The power of this belief is made visible through Lynne’s latest creative endeavor. During It's Alive Summer Camp, children ages 6-12 searched our Gardens for creatures large and small, and participated in citizen science projects. Many creatures called the kapok tree their home.

The great kapok tree by lynne cherry