H. Joseph Hopkins

The role of Katherine Olivia Sessions in promoting a greener, more tree-centered park and city in San Diego is explored in this engaging picture-book biography of the late 19th and early 20th-century horticulturist. Nicknamed the 'Mother of Balboa Park,' Kate was the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science. A life-long tree-lover, Kate was raised in northern California, where arboreal life was plentiful. When she moved to San Diego to teach, after show more graduating from college, she was dismayed to find her new city was practically bare of trees. She soon set out to change that, transforming a city in the process...

I appreciate stories about people who have a positive impact on the world around them, and I like learning about those who were notable in their own time and place, but who have subsequently slipped into obscurity, so The Tree Lady was just my cup of tea. H. Joseph Hopkins' narrative is engaging, and children will enjoy reading about (or listening to) Kate's story. An afterword at the back give more information about the eponymous 'tree lady,' while the gouache artwork by Jill McElmurry captures her life journey from tree-loving girl to mature horticulturist. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about making cities more green - The Curious Garden also springs to mind, in this regard - and to those wanting tales about ground-breaking women. show less

Katherine Olivia Sessions never thought she’d live in a place without trees. After all, Kate grew up among the towering pines and redwoods of Northern California. But after becoming the first woman to graduate from the University of California with a degree in science, she took a job as a teacher far south in the dry desert town of San Diego. Where there were almost no trees.

The Tree Lady is the story of Kate Sessions, also known as the Mother of Balboa Park. The story follows her from her girlhood in Northern California, through her young adulthood and graduation from college with a degree in science, to San Diego, then a desert town, where she learns to grow trees that thrive in the hot, dry climate.
I loved this story! The pictures are vibrant and beautiful, you can really feel the transformation of San Diego from dry desert to lush, tree filled metropolis. I show more also liked the refrain throughout the book of "No one thought...But Kate did", it's a nice repetitive element that I can envision the kids joining in on. Overall a sweet story about a pioneering woman in science. show less

This is the biography of Katherine Olivia Sessions. From a young girl, Kate knew she wanted to study science and learn about trees. She was the first women to graduate with a science degree from the University of California in 1881. From there she moved from Northern California to San Diego. Surprised at how little trees there were in San Diego, Kate quite her job as a teacher to become a gardener. She wrote to other gardeners all over the world to collect seeds that could grow in San Diego. show more Eventually everyone was buying her trees and planting them in their yards. When the Panama- California Exposition was coming to San Diego, Kate knew that Balboa Park needed to be filled with more trees to provide the visitors with shade and make the park beautiful. She gathered volunteers to plant thousands of trees before the fair. Because of this Kate Sessions is known as the Mother of Balboa Park. This is a great biography picture book for all ages. The story is engaging, and the pictures are vibrant and beautiful. show less