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Seeking a secure peace with freedom and justice, built on world citizenship and effective global governance.
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Great Environmental Books for Children Compiled by Susan Salterberg, University of Northern Iowa, and Betty Collins, Musser Library Agatha’s Feather Bed, by Carmen Agra Deedy. This book explains that everything on the earth comes from something—silk from silkworms, cotton from a cotton boll, etc. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-12. Butterfly House, by Eve Bunting. After saving a caterpillar, a young girl and her grandfather build a butterfly house. The child decides to bring outdoor beauty into the box by painting a colorful “garden” on the inside of the box, and a blue sky on the inner lid. The caterpillar undergoes the metamorphosis and is set free by the tearful girl. In her older years, the “girl” (who narrates the story) enjoys the many butterflies in her own garden. A touching story. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Common Ground: The Water, Air and Earth We Share, by Molly Bang. This parable about sheep and the Commons where they graze demonstrates the impacts of daily actions and the value of working together to preserve common ground. Illustrated picture book for ages 6 and up. Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin. This book is a humorous look at the hidden world of worms and their daily doings. Kids love the anthropomorphic worms’—eye view portrayed here. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry. This wonderfully illustrated and highly recommended book depicts the lushness of the Amazon rainforest, and why it needs to be protected. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Gumfounded, by Sherry B. Garr. While walking to school, Tia steps on a piece of gum. That leads to a whole mess of other problems, as the gum keeps picking up other litter. Tia is left walking with a mountain of litter attached to her shoes. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Hey, Little Ant, by Phillip and Hannah Hoose. Readers look at life from an insect’s point of view in this story. A boy talks with an ant he wants to squish, and the ant pleads for his life saying, “You are very much like me.” Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Home, by Jeannie Baker. This wordless book begins with a mother and father holding their newborn in an urban environment with only a trace of the natural world. As the baby grows, so too does the greening of the neighborhood, turning a drab city street into a living, thriving home. Illustrated picture book for ages 4 and up. Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen. The story, recently made into a motion picture, of a boy trying to save the nesting place of burrowing owls. Chapter book for ages 11 & up. How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming, by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch. Here is the science behind headlines about climate change, and what actions youth can take. For ages 9-14. The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo: An Ecological Mystery, by Jean Craighead George. What has happened to the missing alligator? A sixth-grade girl in southern Florida attempts to solve the ecological mystery. Chapter book for ages 10 & up. See other books by author Jean Craighead George, as well. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, by Phillip Hoose. Describes the ivory-billed woodpecker’s extinction, then its possible re-discovery. Non-fiction chapter book for ages 10 and up. A River Ran Wild, by Lynne Cherry. This book is an environmental history of the Nashua River, from the time of the Native Americans to the present, highly illustrated for easy accessibility by young children. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. The Sea, the Storm, and the Mangrove Tree, by Lynne Cherry. A description of a mangrove seed floating to shore, sprouting, and eventually forming a mangrove island that shelters creatures of all kinds. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-10. Secret Place, by Eve Bunting. The young narrator discovers wildness among a city’s concrete. He shares his find with a few grateful adults and, at the same time, introduces readers to wildlife he’s discovered. As his enthusiasm for wildness grows, he wants to tell others but is cautioned to “be careful” as some may want to take it and change it. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. Someday a Tree, by Eve Bunting. Alice and her family prize an old oak tree in an open field near her home, but the tree starts to die because hazardous materials were dumped under it. The family and others in the community try to save it to no avail, but Alice thinks of a way that the tree can live on in another way. Illustrated picture book for ages 4 and up. Song of the Water Boatman, by Joyce Sidman. Sidman shares 11 poems about pond life and its diversity. Each poem is accompanied by a paragraph that provides information about a part of pond life. A combination of poetry and science. Illustrated poetry book for ages 5-12. Table Where Rich People Sit, by Byrd Baylor. A girl feels her family doesn’t have enough money. As the family discusses this issue at their worn-out table, they determine there is much value in the non-tangibles of their lives—the sunsets, the stars, the wind. The girl decides her family may indeed be rich after all. Illustrated picture book for ages 6-9. Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet, by Claudia McGehee. McGehee brings the prairie to life, illustrating flowers such as the yellow stargrass that welcomes springtime to the butterfly weed that attracts summer’s winged visitors. Each season unfolds in this alphabet book through the vibrant, vivid illustrations. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. The Wartville Wizard, by Don Madden. Wartville is being buried in trash. Then, one day, an old man realizes he can clean up Wartville. He involves the entire community in this solution. Illustrated picture book for ages 7-10. Window, by Jeannie Baker. This wordless book begins with a mother holding her newborn son as she looks out the window at a pond and lush vegetation. The following illustrations show the changes in the landscape during the next 20 years. Illustrated picture book for ages 4 and up. A Woodland Counting Book, by Claudia McGehee. In this counting book, McGehee’s vibrantly colored scratchboard illustrations reveal beauty in woodland communities. Illustrated picture book for ages 4-8. |
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