Every Leaf a Hallelujah

This educational and wondrous journey will leave a lasting impression on readers.

Booker Prize winner Okri (The Famished Road) delivers a charming, heartfelt environmentalist fairy tale about a young girl's quest to save her dying mother--and planet Earth. When Mangoshi is sent to pluck a flower said to possess healing properties from an old tree, she discovers many paths through the woods and overhears the trees whispering among themselves, but returns home empty-handed. A year later, both her mother and their village at large have grown sicker, and Mangoshi is sent out to try again. This second attempt leads her on a magical adventure guided by an elderly baobab tree, who teaches her about the plight of trees around the world and gives her the courage to stand up against those who plan to level the forest. The result is a heartwarming, encouraging look at how a child's act of courage can impact the world, as well as the power of protest to combat climate change. Coupled with vibrant illustrations by Ejaita, this gem will resonate with both adult fantasy readers and their children. (Feb.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"A slender fable about the power of the individual to save society as a whole...Ejaita's bright illustrations, influenced by African textile traditions, bring ancient oaks, sequoias, and bristlecone pines to life." —New York Times Book Review

"A vivid tale...a loving panorama of a mysterious organic world...made more enchanting by Diana Ejaita's illustrations." —Financial Times

"[A] quest with all the authority of an established folk tale." —The Guardian

"Ben Okri and Diana Ejaita have created a magical world of beauty and color, an enchanting array of extraordinary trees, each with its own personality and voice." —The Africa Center, The Top African Books of the Year

"Ben Okri's Every Leaf a Hallelujah is beautiful and wise—a true fable for our time. And Diana Ejaita's illustrations are spectacular." —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

"It was a sheer joy to be able to read this. It is mysterious and magical and true...The illustrations are woven wonderfully around the words; the trees are with you, telling it, writing it. Once read we will know never to take trees or leaves for granted again. A powerful symphony of a story that will resonate for every reader. We hear the wind in the trees on every page. We only have to listen." —Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse

Praise for Ben Okri:

"I love the mythical, fablelike quality of his stories. There is something very comforting and ancient about them." —Alan Cumming

"Ben Okri is that rare thing, a literary and social visionary, a writer for whom all three—literature, culture, and vision—are profoundly interwoven." —Ali Smith

"Fiction's master of enchantments stares down a real horror, and without blinking or flinching, produces a work of beauty, grace, and uncommon power." —Marlon James