Got Gas?

As a parent, I am sure many of us hop into the car on a daily basis in our role of family chauffeur without even thinking what’s fueling our cars. When prices soared, perhaps we thought harder about taking unnecessary trips, but when the cost of a gallon dropped again, we were back in our vehicles filling up as usual. It’s actually music to my ears when my teen says, “Hey Mom, I’m going to walk to Rite-Aid.”

With Earth Day around the corner, I took a look at this terrific educational book and can now recommend it to you.  So here I am, along with my kids, learning how our reliance on fossil fuels is contributing to global warming. A Stage 2 reader in the Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out series, What’s So Bad About Gasoline (HarperCollins, 2009, $5.99, ages 5-9) brings important science concepts to K-4 students. It’s packed with information, colorful illustrations (some with speech bubbles offering further explanations) and a whole bunch of interesting gasoline facts. Reading this book with your child is guaranteed to promote positive discussion about alternative energy sources and ways we can reduce our carbon footprint.