Plant the seeds for earth-friendly living by starting early. These books for the preschool set will help kids think about their impact on the planet.
Dora Celebrates Earth Day! Written by Emily Sollinger. Illustrated by Dave Aikins. Dora explores in her own way ideas for helping protect the Earth every day. Her friends and family come to her rescue sharing different ways we can all take care of the planet. The message of this simple tale reaches out even to the smallest of kids. The photo style illustrations clearly convey the idea to non-readers. Overall, it makes an engaging storytime read-aloud.
Robin Hill School: Earth Day. Written by Margaret McNamara. Illustrated by Mike Gordon. The banners in Mrs. Connor’s classroom read in big, bold letters: Save the Earth! But how? While the other first graders come up with lots of big ideas, Emma decides to explore small ideas with her dad’s help. The class puts Emma’s ideas into action and the teacher declares that the Earth is safe in their hands. Robin Hill School series once again helps children with problem solving. This simple story, with its short snappy sentence structure, is perfect for beginning readers.
Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day. Written by Jane O’Connor. Pictures based on the art of Robin Preiss Glasser. In this charming tale, Fancy Nancy wants to do her part for the Earth. So she reminds her family of the green rules they could practice at home. But did she go overboard? Along the way, she learns a valuable lesson, to respect the Earth as well as your family. Bonus: Readers learn simple slogans while picking up Nancy’s fancy words. Cute, fanciful illustrations combined with clever word play help to captivate younger readers.
Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants! (Gilbert Goes Green). Written and illustrated by Diane deGroat. Gilbert finds it hard to come up with ideas for his school assignments. First, it’s a springtime poem; next it’s an idea for Earth Day project. At the end, he hits a double bonanza, coming up with an original idea for Earth Day and a poem to honor the same. Diane deGroat’s vibrant artwork brings the school’s atmosphere to life. The light, playful tone that shines throughout the story helps spark the creativity of youngsters.
