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This short story has an interesting backstory- it was commissioned by Readers Digest but then rejected, as it is fictional but reads like nonfiction and the magazine thought it was wrong to deceive their readers. Which feels especially apt to me in this moment with the #camplitsy discussion of Yellowface we are currently Buddy reading.

I liked it and what it has to say about environmental recovery, which feels valid decades after the writing.

A short quiet story about the reciprocity of nature.

#IndelibleMoments @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs
#Healing

In 1913 a hiker walks through a deserted area when he sees a shepherd. Our hiker watches as the shepherd plants hundreds of trees. Except for the world wars, our hiker will visit the shepherd and see how the forest spreads and what happens to the area when the trees return.

A short story at just 30 p, it shows that humans can do more than just destroy the world.

3rd book read for #JubilantJuly
#foodandlit #France

#WindsofMarch @Eggs
#Planting

Frequently mistaken for a factual account of the life of its protagonist, Elzéard Bouffier, Giono's short story is a modern fable about the enduring power of life to recover from misfortune. As with the best literature, it can be interpreted in many ways. It's often adopted as a early eco-aware story, but also has clear spiritual, religious and psychological dimensions. It's a charming, uplifting tale, with an amusing back story.

This tiny little short story or parable has sat on my shelves for years. The book and the woodcuts are beautiful, and the story itself of a single shepherd who plants a forest, regenerating a whole area, is lovely.

But I couldn't get past the narrator's voice, which I found snooty, patronising and self-righteous. Maybe I got out of bed the wrong side! I know it was written in the 50s - if it had been the 1850s, I might have let it go.

Wonderful short fable about how one person can make a difference, the collective impact of consistent small efforts, and the importance of trees to all aspects of our well -being. And as a bonus, the woodcut illustrations are gorgeous.

Short and straightforward parable about a man who decides to plant trees in a ravaged and desolate area of France. In time a forest grows, positively impacting the local ecology and encouraging people to live happily and sustainably in the area again. I love Giono's writing and it is paired well with wonderful wood engraving illustrations.

When I reflect that one man, armed only with his own physical and moral resources, was able to cause this land of Canaan to spring from the wasteland, I am convinced that in spite of everything, humanity is admirable.

This is a lovely short story about nature, our relationship with it, and our destruction of it and ourselves. The message it contains is simple, but that doesn't make it any less important. A highly recommended read and I loved that my edition had endpapers made from recycled paper!