The Man Who Planted Trees

In his wonderful story of Elzeard Bouffier, an imaginary yet wholly believable
shepherd, Jean Giono perhaps hoped to inspire a reafforestation programme
that would renew the whole earth. The story opposes the tree-planter, the earthhusband,
to the makers of war. At the same time it shows us all that is best in
man's relationship with nature - both parable and manual - and with his fellow
man. For Giono, nature is a living force in which man can rediscover the depth
and harmony he has lost in urban life. Michael McCurdy's beautiful woodcuts,
which accompany the text, have helped establish this book as a unique edition
of a unique and inspiring story for all times.
When a Guardian survey recently revealed what writers would have liked to
have written, War Horse author Michael Morpurgo plumped for this
extraordinary title. The Man Who Planted Trees is now long establised as a
literary, and enviromental classic.