Review - Snowboy and the Last Tree Standing

Snowboy and the Last Tree Standing
by Hiawyn Oram
illustrated by Birgitta Sif
Date: 2018
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

A poignant tale about a game gone awry shows that in the face of greed and reckless destruction, one thoughtful person can make a big difference.

Snowboy is busy saving the Polar Bear King when Greenbackboy approaches him with an idea for a game called KA-CHING — a game that will make them rich. It’s easy: all they need to do is cut down all of the trees in the forest and catch all of the fish in the ocean and trade it in for piles and piles of shiny KA-CHING. But if all the trees are gone, they won’t be able to breathe. And what is a sea without fish? Their world would be inhospitable. Since Greenbackboy can’t see the forest for the trees, it’s up to Snowboy to trust his instinct to protect and nurture, rather than destroy. In a tale that glimmers with quiet power and hope, Hiawyn Oram transforms a universal cautionary tale into an accessible and imaginative fantasy, made all the more vivid by Birgitta Sif’s beautiful and atmospheric artwork.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Strange little book...

While the illustrations are cute, the story is a really heavy-handed environmental message about how you might be able to make money by exploiting the forests and the oceans, but you can't eat that money. I don't really get why this was done with child characters. Metaphor? Imaginative play? Or were large corporations just handing over huge sums of money to children who came in offering lumber and fish?

I enjoyed the illustrations, but the story left me a bit cold (and confused). I don't really like being hit over the head with a MESSAGE, either.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5