As a community gathers on the shores of Mombasa to clean up the trash that litters their beach, an empty yogurt cup sparks an idea: could this piece of plastic be the key to restoring Kenya’s once-mighty mangrove forest?

On the shores of Kenya, the mighty mangrove trees once had their own song—the lapping of the tides against their roots, the trilling of insects, and the harmonies of birds. But as the cities expanded, the forests shrank. The birds and fish disappeared, trash began to litter the barren land, and soon, all that remained was silence.  

But one day, a small group of people begins to clean. As they dream of what the forest once was, they start collecting tins, dirty napkins, and food cartons. When a yogurt cup is found, an idea is sparked: can this empty piece of plastic trash help bring the forest back? That cup becomes home to a tiny mangrove seedling. Soon, a dozen seedlings become one hundred, and then more than two hundred thousand. Slowly, the forest begins to return. As the seedlings take root, the birds and fish find their way back, and the song of the mangroves begins anew.  

Trading Trash for Trees shares the inspiring story of Big Ship, a community-based organization in Mombasa working to restore Kenya’s degraded mangrove ecosystems. Through lyrical, stirring text and colorful, kid-friendly art, this book shows budding young environmentalists that by putting on their thinking caps and working together, they can find ways to make a real difference.