While celebrating Earth Day at Honeymoon Island last month I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderfully talented children’s author.  Michael Sterns is a local author of a set of children’s books, Kokopelli & The Butterfly and Kokopelli & The Island of Change.  Michael is a self-published author and is very passionate about his stories.  His passion is what made me want to read these stories. 

Kokopelli & The Butterfly by Michael Sterns

There are many messages in both stories including conflict management, acceptance, diversity, and care for the environment.  Kokopelli is a great role model and can teach children (and adults) many wonderful life lessons. 

Michael spent a great deal of time in the layout of the books so that families could enjoy these stories together.  Each book is large enough so that as you read the story you wrap yourselves around your children; whether you have one or more kids cuddled up on your lap.  He made a special point to alternate the illustrations on the pages so children can share the reading experience.  His books make family time a special time for everyone.

The stories are rather lengthy but as I read them to Big B he didn’t want me to put it down.  We normally spend 15-30 minutes each night reading before bed and even as we came closer and closer to bedtime he wanted to know what happened next.  We ended up turning the lights out a little late that night, but it was time well spent.

Another wonderful feature of these stories is that they are good for children of all ages.  The youngest members of your families will enjoy the illustrations and vibrant colors.  As your children get older they will enjoy listening to the flow of the stories, almost as if it were being sung to them as the words flow so nicely.  The older children in your family will enjoy being able to read the story with you.  Even as an adult I enjoyed reading the stories to Big B and seeing the excitement and joy on his face. 

If you would like to get your own copy of Michael’s books you can go to Grasshopper Dream Productions.  Be sure to use the following referral code at checkout: 1570.

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Lonesome George, The Giant Tortoise

With Darwin’s 200th birthday coming next week I’ve decided to volunteer some of my time at my sons school. I found Lonesome George, the Giant Tortoise at the local library.   It’s a childrens book (K-3) about a specific species of tortoise that is found on the Galapagos Islands.   George thinks he is the last of his kind and is looking for a mate.   I can’t wait to see how the kids respond to the story.

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I made it safe and sound to my destination and I didn’t have nearly as much waste as normal today.  I did use my water bottle (refillable) all day.  Note to you travelers: don’t fill it until you get past security since you can’t take liquids through.  I filled it at the nearest water fountain which was tricky when only a trickle of water came out of the spout.  Maybe next time I will fill it at a restaurant instead.  The only waste I had was from the wrapper of my taco’s that I had for lunch.  I even borrowed a book from the library instead of buying one at the airport. 

Today’s book is “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman.  I’m only about 50 pages into the book but I want to read more.  It’s exactly what the title suggests; what would the world be like without us.  The writer is very vivid and his use of imagery is wonderful.  He has an extensive Bibliography section and a web site so I imagine I will be doing some homework when I’m done.  The only warning is that the book is pretty depressing and at the same time beautiful.  I will follow up with my review as I get deeper into the book but right now I’m intrigued with the chapter on NYC.  I didn’t realize how much of the ecosystem was changed to build the city. 

Alright, I’m off to find some dinner.  Stay green!

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OK…so I’m waiting on some projects to be completed today so I guess I do have some more time to write.

Last week little man and I picked out some new books at the library.  This weeks books were all eco-themed and earth friendly.  As we get closer to Earth Day I wanted to really get some books that I could use to help get him to care about the Earth.  It’s really funny to hear kids when you ask them questions about energy and the environment.  Here are the ones we got and a mini-review on each. 

  “Why Should I Save Energy?” by Jen Green

This is part of a series of environmental themed books like Why Should I…protect nature, recycle, and save water?  It does a good job giving a simple definition of what energy is and what life would be like without it.  It gives you the opportunity to ask the kids other ways they would save energy.  Like my son’s favorite one, “we could walk, run, or take a scooter.”  Good book for the little one’s. 

  “Diary of a Worm”, by Doreen Cronin

I got this book because my son’s school is making a worm compost bin for Earth Week.  I especially like the first entry into worm’s diary, “The earth gives us everything we need.”  My son really liked this one and the humor in the book made it fun for the adults too.  Definately worth borrowing.

 ”Our Big Home, An Earth Poem”, by Linda Glaser

I especially like the illustrations in this one and how on each page the words are in a circle to represent the Earth.  It’s a good book to talk about community and how we all share this Earth and the things on it.  Cute poem.

  “How Groundhog’s Garden Grew”, by Lynne Cherry

One of my new found favorite author’s!  This one ties in with school and home gardening projects.  Last week at school they planted a salsa garden and at home we have a small garden out back.  It shows the kids how animals collect seeds and plant them for the next years harvest.  I really love that they all share the harvest the following year.  Really cute story.

  “The Sea, The Storm, and The Mangrove Tangle”, by Lynne Cherry

Another one by Lynne Cherry that is an absolute treasure.  The words are a little big for a 5yr old but I don’t mind explaining them to him.  Being in Florida my son can actually relate to the mangrove island and the animals that live there.  It also talks about hurricanes, fishing, and why the mangroves need to be preserved.  Last night this is the story he asked me to read for bedtime.  I guess that means it’s a winner. 

 So what are some of your favorite eco-themed books for kids? 
(All pictures borrowed from www.Amazon.com.  Books were borrowed from the local library…the greatest reuse available.)

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I found a list of children’s books in my latest issue of Cookie magazine and there were two books that were recommended about the environment.  Since my son loves the library so much we stopped by last night to see if they had them.  Of course we had to read them as soon as we got home and he really liked both of them.  Here is the information on the books; check them out next time you’re at the library. 

The Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton:
This book was written way before it’s time back in 1942 and has achieved the Caldecott Award as well.  It’s about a little house in the country who sees the city off in the distance and wonders what it might be like to live in the city.  After many years the urban sprawl has made it’s way to the country where the little house lived.  My little guy thought it was a cute story, a little sad at times, but with a happy ending for the little house.

The Raft, by Jim LaMarche:
This one was a little long but if you have the time I would recommend it.  It was about a city boy going to spend a summer with his Gramma who lived on a river.  He goes from being bored to finding things in nature to occupy his time.  By the end of the story he has bonded with nature and all of the animals he encountered on the river.  I was afraid it was too long for my almost 5 yr old but it kept his attention for the entire time. 

Both books were rated for young children 3-7 yrs old.

I also found another book; Good Earth Art, by MaryAnn Kohl and Cindy Gainer.  This one has environmental arts and crafts project for kids 3-9 yrs old.  I promised my son we’d do a few project today when he came home from school.  Of course I’m not sure he gets the concept of being an environmental steward yet.  Last night when he was thumbing through the book he saw a project using twigs and pieces from trees and said “Mommy, can we go cut down a tree and make that project?”  I guess I still have a lot of work to do with him.   

What are some of your favorite environmental books? 

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This afternoon I’m going to spend with my son doing some green things.  We made a trip to the local garden center today to get some seeds and we’re going to plant a small window box garden with some of our favorite veggies and herbs.  We already started with the tomatoes last week when we planted the seeds in an old egg carton (talk about reusing!).  While reading my regular blogs I can across a new site to visit with him so he can learn more about what it means to be green.  Scholastic has a site I’ve never seen before called Act Green.  It has games and activities for the kids to help teach them how to be green.  They also have a book list with lots of environmental reading to choose from at all ages.  I need to remember this list on our next trip to the library. 

I also found a new site worth reading for the moms (or any parent really).  I was attracted by the name…Crunchy Chicken…how original, I love it.  This lady sounds like she’s a little darker green that me with my light green shade.  She even uses cloth wipes in the bathroom instead of toilet paper.  I’m not so sure I could pass that challenge.  Anyways it’s worth a read and I love sharing new sites as I find them.  If you have any other favorites please be sure to share them. 

If you do nothing else today spend some time with your kids doing something good for the environment.  Go for a walk, ride your bikes, plant a garden, it really doesn’t matter what it is as long as you are teaching them good environmental values along the way.  Enjoy your weekend!

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