April is Save the Environment Month on TTLG - A review

Here is another environmental title that I think parents and teachers will find very useful.

Simple steps toward a healthier Earth

Molly Smith

Illustrated by Tad Carpenter

Nonfiction

Ages 10 and up

Chronicle Books, 2010, 978-0-8118-7141-9

   Almost every day we are bombarded with news articles, television shows, and radio programs about the state of our environment. The situation can seem overwhelming, and many young people wonder how they can “possibly make a difference.” The truth is that one person can make a difference simply by implementing “little choices every day” that can help our planet.

   This book is full of activities that will help young people to better understand how their everyday choices both help and harm our home. There are five chapters in all, and at the end of each there is a list of “simple steps” that we can all follow to make our lives greener and more environmentally friendly.

   The author begins by looking at “Energy and Climate.” There is a short introduction about energy and climate and how they are related, and then the activities begin. These include coloring pages, a crossword, a word jumble, experiments, and much more. By the time readers have completed the chapter, they will better understand (among other things) how to conserve energy and what a carbon footprint is.

   Other chapters in the book look at “Water and Oceans, “Land and Animals,” “Health and Food,” and “Waste and Recycling.”

   Both teachers and parents are sure to find this book very useful as they try to find informative and interesting ways to help their children better understand their relationship with our planet.

April is Save the Environment Month on TTLG - A review

For Save the Environment Month I have found several delightful board books for little children. Here is my review of one of them.

This is our world: A Story about taking care of the Earth

Emily Sollinger

Illustrated by Jo Brown

Board/Novelty Book

Ages 2 to 5

Simon and Schuster, 2010, 978-1-4169-7821-3

   Many children are natural environmentalists. Without being told a great deal about why we should preserve and protect the environment, they are eager to do their part because it makes sense to them. This charming little board book will giving budding young environmentalists all kinds of information about what they can do to make the planet happier. Not only that, but every double page spread contains a puzzle piece that children can remove and then use to create a puzzle in the back of the book.

   On every double page spread one aspect of environmental action is explored. Children will learn about planting trees, cleaning up a beach, how to make something useful out of recycled items, and why planting a family garden helps everyone. With warm and bright illustrations and an easy to follow text, this is a perfect book to share with little children.

  

April is Save the Environment Month on TTLG - A review - April 14th

Welcome to another review for Save the Environment Month on TTLG. This title is a little different, and it will appeal to gardeners and environmentalists alike. Children will love the idea that there is a way to turn household garbage into something that is useful. It might not be glamorous to compost, but it certainly can be fun!


Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth

Mary McKenna Siddals

Illustrated by Ashley Wolff

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 8

Tricycle Press, 2010, 978-1-58246-316-2

   You may not know this, but there are many ways to recycle. Of course you can take bottles, cans, newspapers, and boxes to the recycling center, but you can also recycle other things – you can compost items from your home and turn them into good rich soil that you can use in your garden.

   So what is composting anyway? Composting is when you take biodegradable items and put them in a bin of some sort. Over time what you put into this bin will break down and turn into soil that you can give back to Mother Earth.

   This book gives you a “recipe” for “environmental chefs” who want to know how to make compost. The ingredients are easy to find and include “Apple cores/Bananas, bruised/Coffee grounds with filters, used.” In fact, all your ingredients for your compost stew are things that you would normally put into a trash can. Add “Kitchen scraps/Laundry lint from dryer traps” to your compost mix, then water it, mix it, and let it sit, and very soon you will have a “dark and crumbly, rich and sweet” gift for Mother Earth.

   This wonderful rhyming picture book will show children how easy, and how fun, composting can be. Children will come to see that composting is yet another way that we can do our part for the environment. With delightful multimedia pictures on ever page (created in part by using recycled and found materials) and a catchy text, this is a perfect book to share with children who are eager to “be green.”

  

The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge - A review

Here is my first review for TTLG's Save the Environment Month. Enjoy!

The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge

Joanna Cole

Illustrated by Bruce Degen

Picture Book

Ages 7 to 9

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-590-10826-3

   Ms. Frizzle and her class are going to put on a play about the Earth and “all the changes” that are taking place all over the planet because of global warming. One morning Ms. Frizzle brings in a book for the children to use to help them create pictures for the scenery for their play. Unfortunately, the book is rather out of date and Ms. Frizzle decides that the children need to go on a field trip so that they can better understand what is happening to the Earth and why.

   The adventure begins in the Arctic Sea, and when the children compare the picture in Ms. Frizzle’s book with what they are seeing outside of the school bus window, they quickly realize that there is a lot less ice outside then there was some years ago. Apparently, an area of ice the size of “Texas and California combined” has melted in the Arctic.

   The school bus (actually, it is a plane at this point) flies all over the planet and the children see how global warming is causing problems all over the planet. They see crops being destroyed by freakish weather, rising sea levels, melting permafrost, drought, blizzards, and much more. The question is what is causing all these changes? What is global warming and why is it happening?

   In this excellent Magic School Bus title, children are given a very clear and comprehensive picture of what global warming is, why it is happening, and what all of us can do to protect our home planet from global warming in the future. As with all the Magic School Bus titles this book is packed with information that is presented in a way that is both interesting and visually engaging.

You can find out more about the book on the official book page

Find out more information on Ms. Frizzle’s April 20th Webcast:

Climb on board with author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen on Tuesday, April 20th at 1pm ET / 10am PT as they join Ms. Frizzle to celebrate Earth Day and their new book The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey! Simply register online, then tune in on April 20th and join the fun! Visit the webcast website to register. 

FTC disclaimer: Reviewed from a copy provided by the publisher

Spring is here, no it's not, yes it is, no it's not...

Happy belated Earth Day everyone!

I have to tell you that here in Ashland, Oregon we have been having the strangest spring I have ever experienced. On April 11th I was up at the crack of dawn to go to Medford, a town just 20 minutes away from my town. I drove to the downtown area and then proceeded to collect my runner's packet for the Pear Blossom Run. Not being in the best of running shape, I had decided to do the 5K and not the 10 mile. The morning was freezing and I was quite numb as I set off with the other runners.


Later that day I sat on the side of the streets with hundreds of other people to watch the Pear Blossom Parade. It was quite a spectacle and my daughter Elise was particularly taken with the horses and the clowns. After being frozen earlier in the day I was then cooked as I watched the parade.


Since then we have had lovely warm days - and snow. And I don't mean a little snow either. We had stick-to-the ground snow for one day and several flurry filled days as well. On Saturday April 19th my husband and I walked into town to go and see a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was blizzard like outside and we arrived at the theatre covered with snow. I have to say that the production of "Coriolanus" that we saw was superb. I read and studied the play a long time ago and read about it again before I went to the performance. The actors swept me away and by the end of the play (which is very tragical) I was feeling very moved and spell bound. Anyone who loves Shakespeare's plays should try to come to Ashland to see the performances put on by this very special theatre company.


One the work front I have been preparing for the May issue of the Through the Looking Glass Book Review by reading a varied and wonderful collection of books about "Insects and their relatives." Even though I studied entomology in university many eons ago, I found myself learning all kinds of fascinating things about insects, spiders, and other many-legged animals. One book in particular struck me. "A Place for Butterflies" not only describes several lovely butterfly species but it also highlights the rocky future that many of these special creatures are facing. Often we think of endangered Giant Pandas, threatened elephants, and the status of other rare large animals. We forget that there are many smaller creatures which are endangered too, creatures which many of us can do something to help. By planting a garden filled with the kinds of plants that butterflies like, we can make a difference. Best of all this is an activity which children can enjoy. They will see the fruits of their labors when butterflies come to the flowering plants which they so carefully planted in the spring.

Happy Spring!