We love books! Books are great teaching tools especially for big topics like EARTH DAY. The below list is generally for 4-7 year old children. My son is 3 and has definitely enjoyed these books, especially the illustrations, so don’t be afraid to introduce them earlier. We talk about what is going on in the illustrations and ask him questions about the illustrations. These are our favorite EARTH DAY books this season. Enjoy!
Gabby and Grandma Go Green by Monica Wellington is an adorable story of a little girl who spends the day with her grandmother. I love the message the story sends about the value of relationships with grandparents. The sweet and cheerful illustrations accompany an easy to read story about Gabby’s experiences completing “green” projects with her grandma such as sewing reusable cloth bags (the main project), recycling bottles at the supermarket, buying locally and borrowing books from the library. They also picnic at the park when Gabby speaks to one of my favorite pieces of advice, “‘I wish I could feed the ducks,’says Gabby. But she knows the ducks have their own pond food to eat.” An endearing story bound to “plant seeds” in your child’s mind about how he can help our environment. The author leaves us with plenty of green tips and, for the really crafty, directions on sewing our own cloth bag.
Sophia’s Dream is a beautifully written (by Land Wilson) and illustrated (by Sue Cornelison) book about a “thoughtful girl” named Sophia and her relationship with the moon, “her giant pearl”. The story is written in a melodic rhyme and draws both adults and children into Sophia’s journey to understand the moon’s “gloomy face”. The moon explains to a very worried Sophia that “his closest relative”, Mother Earth, is in trouble but there are things she and the people in her life can do to help make Mother Earth happy again. A very inspiring tale for adults and children. My son is 3 years old and, especially as we venture into the spring season, has absorbed the lessons of this story more than I could have thought possible. Well done, Little Pickle Press!
What Does It Mean to Be Green? by Rana DiOrio and illustrated by Chris Blair is a great teaching tool for children as young as 3 years old. The idea of “being green” is explained by asking a series of questions such as “Does it mean feeling sick in the car?” and “Does it mean looking like a frog?” Then moves into the true meaning of “being green” with answers like, “…drawing on two sides of your paper instead of just one…” and “…turning of the water while you brush your teeth…”. The author writes so that the children can relate the message of the book to their every day lives. With the adorable and colorful illustrations, this book is a clear winner this Earth Day.
Compost by Linda Glaser – A lovely illustrated book telling the story of a little girl explaining how her family makes soil from waste using their compost bin. As we move through the book, she add various items, such as Lima beans and grass clippings, to the compost bin educating children AND adults on what goes into the bin. Then she walks us through watering the compost, turning the compost and the warmth of the decomposing material. The end of the book provides additional learning for adults and children. A great book introducing the concepts of recycling and composting.
The Earth Book by Todd Parr is very effective at teaching children every day ways they can help the Earth. The illustrations are colorful and fun, sure to draw a child’s interest and keep it. The book is written in first person narrative giving a child’s point of view to how he can take care of the Earth. Layered into the book is gratitude with phrases such as “I take the school bus and ride my bike because I love the stars and I want the air to be clear so I can see them sparkle.” A very simple book from which your child will learn basic every day actions that will make our Earth a happier and healthy place.
Thank you so much for visiting and happy reading!
Marnie
Marnie Craycroft
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We checked some out from the library this week too; my favorites of the bunch are “Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day” and “Compost Stew.” I’m going to add these to the library queue for next week. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh Justine! We love Compost Stew! Such fun books and great ways to help our kids learn about this important stuff!
Thank you, Marnie, for taking the time to put together this wonderful collection of books for April! We have always loved Todd Parr’s book, and I am excited to learn of these new titles too. And of course, Little Pickle Press is very flattered to have made the cut! Carrots Are Orange has been added to the “Blogs We Love” section of our own blog!
Thanks Cameron! I’m so impressed with your books. Let me know if you’re ever interested in doing a giveaway! Cheers! Marnie
Sofia’s Dream and What Does It Mean To Be Green are already two of my children’s favorite books. Six year old Maryam especially loves Sofia, she says she is her bay sister, Asmaa! I’ll have to add the others to my wishlist- especially the Compost book- the kids LOVE “making dirt”!
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Thank you! Lovely!
Thank you, Carrots Are Orange, for this wonderful support! All my best, ~Land
My pleasure, I love your work! This piece is only the beginning of other ideas I have for activities and ideas within the context of your book.
This is a great list and I”m going to add it to my running list. I also love Earth Mother (http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5969097884&searchurl=sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dearth%2Bmother%26x%3D0%26y%3D0). It really highlights the cycle of life.
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Excellent Kim!
What a wonderful list of books! I will have to look for them at our library.
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Thanks for liking the list of Earth Day Childrens Books, Deidre!
What a fantastic collection of books…thanks so much for taking the time to collect and write about them for us! And thank you for sharing (and hosting) with the Kid’s Co-op linky!
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Thanks for the link!