A Small History of a Disagreement

August 1, 2020
How to disagree effectively, courtesy of Chile by way of Canada. When a group of upper-elementary-aged students comes back to school after a holiday, they are surprised to see the beginnings of construction in their schoolyard. Then they find out that the 300-year-old monkey puzzle tree (a species native to Chile and Argentina) in the schoolyard is slated to be cut down to make way for a new school building that will house new classrooms, a computer lab, and science laboratories. Some of the kids begin to advocate for the protection of the tree, saying it is a protected species and a link to the Indigenous people of the region; others argue for the development and the improvements it will bring to the school. After back-and-forth protests, the history teacher suggests holding a debate. The students agree and prepare and present their arguments. After the debate they decide the next step is to hold a vote. After vigorous campaigning, voting day comes and...it's a tie. Now what? The answer is a relevant lesson in these divisive times. This well-told story, translated from Spanish, takes a forthright look at disagreement and resolution while empowering its readership by featuring school-age children (illustrated with various skin tones and hairstyles) as its protagonists. The illustrations work effectively in a supporting role with their low-key, muted palette, clear settings, and contemporary, consistently rendered youngsters. A refreshing and timely reminder that disagreement can--and should--be productive. (author's note) (Picture book. 9-14)

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Starred review from October 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Chilean students protest the proposed removal of a monkey puzzle tree in this picture book that holds valuable applications to young U.S. protesters as well. The monkey puzzle tree, native to Chile and Argentina, is ancient, valuable, and increasingly endangered, making it an apt symbol for democracy. Here the locus for the protests is a school where plans are underway to chop down a monkey puzzle tree in order to construct a new addition. Older students form two groups: the Millennials, named for preserving the thousand-year-old trees, and the Developers, on the side of sacrificing the tree for progress. The book follows the conflict from a contentious meeting with the principal?a strait-laced woman with a military commander's portrait hanging in her office (a nod to Chile's history of military regimes)?to protests, discussions, and finally, a debate before the whole school. The resolution is a win-win for both sides with the message that good ideas can come out of disagreement. An absorbing story and guide to resolving conflicts peacefully.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

November 2, 2020
This picture book utilizes a collective first-person perspective to relay the tale of a schoolwide debate when a new school building is proposed on the site of an endangered tree—“a member of a millennial species, thousands of years old.” After signs and protests draw attention to the monkey puzzle tree’s fate (“I want to live”; “I’m 300 years old. Save me!”), the school’s history teacher suggests a debate and subsequent vote between two groups: “Millennials,” who wish to preserve the tree, and “Developers,” who laud the progress the building will bring. The vote results in a solution that suits everyone, a solution that feels well earned by the involved students. Though characters of color are painted in an unfortunate gray hue, Lyon’s illustrations, rendered in a dynamic, sketchlike style, are engaging, with expressive faces and comics-esque panels. A detailed study of community involvement, debate, and voting. Ages 7–12.

January 1, 2021
Students arrive back at school from vacation to find that plans to construct a new science building necessitate the removal of a monkey puzzle tree. The story of the ensuing protests, debates, split vote, and resolution is a lesson both in democracy and community engagement and a hopeful message about the ability of disparate groups to come together in creating solutions. This sophisticated picture book is narrated by one of the students, but not as an individual, rather a part of the collective "we," as in "we sat down to talk and think in small groups." Illustrations also emphasize the collective; it is impossible to pick out the narrator. A multi-ethnic, ever-changing group of students hangs signs on the endangered tree; some (known as "Millennials") protest the building plans; some (called "Developers") picket in support of the project; all attend school assemblies on the topic. Student activists will see themselves in the passionate, outspoken crowd, and all will close the book with a sense of the possibility for problem-solving. Lyon's illustrations resemble a sketchbook, with a limited palette of blue and brown setting off the loose drawings. An afterword gives readers background about the endangered monkey puzzle tree (native to southern Chile and western Argentina). Where agreement seems elusive in our contemporary world, an engaging and visually satisfying picture book about problem-solving deserves attention.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2021
Students arrive back at school from vacation to find that plans to construct a new science building necessitate the removal of a monkey puzzle tree. The story of the ensuing protests, debates, split vote, and resolution is a lesson both in democracy and community engagement and a hopeful message about the ability of disparate groups to come together in creating solutions. This sophisticated picture book is narrated by one of the students, but not as an individual, rather a part of the collective "we," as in "we sat down to talk and think in small groups." Illustrations also emphasize the collective; it is impossible to pick out the narrator. A multi-ethnic, ever-changing group of students hangs signs on the endangered tree; some (known as "Millennials") protest the building plans; some (called "Developers") picket in support of the project; all attend school assemblies on the topic. Student activists will see themselves in the passionate, outspoken crowd, and all will close the book with a sense of the possibility for problem-solving. Lyon's illustrations resemble a sketchbook, with a limited palette of blue and brown setting off the loose drawings. An afterword gives readers background about the endangered monkey puzzle tree (native to southern Chile and western Argentina). Where agreement seems elusive in our contemporary world, an engaging and visually satisfying picture book about problem-solving deserves attention. Maeve Visser Knoth

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)