Earth Day books

Kids Picture Book Review – The Big Beach Cleanup Blog Tour

THE BIG BEACH CLEANUP

Written by Charlotte Offsay

Illustrated by Katie Rewse

(Albert Whitman & Co.; $16.99, Ages 4-8)

 

 

TheBigBeachCleanup cover

 

 

In Charlotte Offsay’s debut picture book, The Big Beach Cleanup, the main character, Cora, is looking forward to the upcoming Crystal Beach Sandcastle Competition which she intends to win. So you can imagine her disappointment when a sign at the beach says it’s “Postponed due to beach conditions.” And what are those conditions you might wonder? The ever-growing problem of plastic and other kinds of trash that wash ashore from the ocean in addition to being left by people are ruining our beaches.

Together with her mom, the pair clean up what they can but four hands will never be enough. The next day Cora and her mom return, this time with Grandpa in tow, but the task of collecting the vast amount of litter and empties feels daunting for just six hands to tackle. Cora’s grandfather also explains how animals mistake the trash for food which further concerns the little girl. Clearly this pollution is wreaking havoc on the environment and its inhabitants. Then Cora comes up with a plan.

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Interior spread from The Big Beach Cleanup written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Katie Rewse, Albert Whitman & Co. ©2021.

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Maybe six hands aren’t enough to pick up all the trash, but many hands might be. So Cora creates flyers to post all over town with her mom’s help. When initially people don’t seem to respond to the flyers, Cora’s mom explains that people are busy and there are lots of ways to reduce trash such as cutting back on one-use items and not littering.

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Interior spread from The Big Beach Cleanup written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Katie Rewse, Albert Whitman & Co. ©2021.

 

Undeterred, Cora continues to ask friends and neighbors to help her in a big beach cleanup and soon “more and more and more hands joined together.” So many people pitch in for this community effort initiated by one very motivated and caring young girl that before long the competition is back on! And though ultimately Cora does not win the contest, she can claim a much bigger and enduring prize—the knowledge and self-satisfaction of having made a difference.

Katie Rewse’s art is at once simple yet expressive and optimistic for a topic like pollution. Her emphasis on conveying the variety of garbage that washes up on the beaches and is left by humans will help children get a good sense of what a big mess the trash, especially plastics, is causing for our planet.

Offsay shares important and easy-to-grasp information for young readers to learn in a relatable way. After seeing how the abundant beach litter disrupts the sandcastle event, children will hopefully realize the impact that they as individuals can have and feel empowered to fight for the cleanliness of our oceans and our beaches. Perfect for Earth Day, The Big Beach Cleanup would also be a welcome year round read for homes, schools and libraries who view environmental conservation not as an option, but as a necessity. An added bonus to buying the book is that all author proceeds from the book are being donated to Heal the Bay.

Click here to buy a book and support a local indie bookstore.

Click here to read about another environmental-themed picture book.

 

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Kids Book About Endangered Species – Don’t Let Them Disappear

DON’T LET THEM DISAPPEAR:
12 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACROSS THE GLOBE
Written by Chelsea Clinton
Illustrated by Gianna Marino
(Philomel Books; $17.99, Ages 4-8)

 

book cover art from Don't Let Them Disappear

 

New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Clinton follows the success of her previous middle-grade and YA children’s books about the environment with Don’t Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe. This 40 page nonfiction picture book shares the important message that “[e]very animal species is unique and important to life on Earth.” Kids learn more about popular animals (lions, elephants, tigers) while realizing they face extinction because of man-made problems such as habitat destruction, climate change, and poaching—a term that’s defined in a way kids can understand.

 

int artwork by Gianna Marino from Don't Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton
Interior spread from Don’t Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe written by Chelsea Clinton with illustrations by Gianna Marino, Philomel Books ©2019.

 

I like how Clinton weaves together facts including animal group names: towers of giraffes and embarrassments of giant pandas. Fun insights will engage kids; for example, when a sea otter finds a particularly useful rock for cracking open those tough clamshells, the otter will travel with their rock.

 

int spread by Gianna Marino from Don't Let Then Disappear by Chelsea Clinton
Interior spread from Don’t Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe written by Chelsea Clinton with illustrations by Gianna Marino, Philomel Books ©2019.

 

The closing pages explain why animals are endangered and how we can help by celebrating them on their special days (i.e., July 14th is Shark Awareness Day), placing trash only in trash cans or recycling bins (recycling helps fight global warming), and planting trees to combat climate change. Don’t Let Them Disappear offers an avenue for reflection and family discussions about the effects our decisions have on animals with whom we share the planet. Clinton’s hopeful words encourage us to act; “We can work together to change the future.” 

Gianna Marino’s lively art brings out each animal’s beauty and personality. The twelve featured creatures are depicted in various family groupings, warming the reader’s heart. Don’t forget to check under the cover for a bonus illustration!

 

 

Click here for Clinton’s tour dates.

Read a guest post about Earth Day and endangered animals by Vivian Kirkfield here.

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Kids Book: Otters on Earth Day – A Guest Post by Vivian Kirkfield

AUTHOR VIVIAN KIRKFIELD
SHARES AN IMPORTANT EARTH DAY THEMED
GUEST POST

 

book cover woodcut illustration from Four Otters Toboggan

 

Today is Earth Day. In fact, today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Back in 1970, the world woke up to the fact that mankind was destroying the planet. Horrible smog covered many major cities. Rain forests were disappearing. The hole in the ozone layer was getting bigger. And many animals were on the brink of extinction.

 

interior woodcut by Mirka Hokkanen from Four Otters Toboggan
Interior art of stormy landscape with cuckoos from Four Otters Toboggan written by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen, Pomegranate Books ©2019.

 

According to the EarthDay.org website:

“The first Earth Day in 1970 enlisted 20 million Americans and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. It is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event and it led to passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clear Water and Endangered Species Acts. Many countries soon adopted similar laws, and the United Nations chose Earth Day 2016 to sign the Paris climate agreement.”

Back in 1970, I was a young woman teaching kindergarten in the New York City public schools. I knew that picture books were a wonderful way to educate, entertain, and inspire young children. But what I didn’t know then was that I would write a book to aid in our quest to protect the environment and save the species.

In those days, I often accompanied my husband on his fly-fishing expeditions to pristine mountain streams in the back country of whatever state we lived in at the time. These were areas not yet touched by residential and industrial development. And when I’d grow weary of casting the rod, I’d sit on a rock and be still … so still that after a while, woodland creatures would venture out. In Colorado, otters splashed, falcons circled, and butterflies would flit, flutter, and hover, sipping nectar from wild columbines. I knew then that one day I’d write a story about them, a story that would encourage children and their parents to cherish wildlife and protect their habitats because a world that is safe for wild animals is safe for human beings.

Otterly Awesome Activity Book cover artFOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (Pomegranate, Ages 5-8) introduces children to ten endangered animals: river otters, Peregrine falcons, fritillary butterflies, yellow mud turtles, and more. The text is lyrical yet simple enough for the very young. And the illustrations are fabulous original woodcuts by the talented artist Mirka Hokannen. The rich STEM back matter contains facts about each animal and also information about protection of these species and what factors threaten them. There is also a wonderful activity book created by the illustrator, available here for free download.

 

int woodcut by Mirka Hokkanen from Four Otters Toboggan
Interior artwork from Four Otters Toboggan written by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen, Pomegranate Books ©2019.

Although much work has been done over the last fifty years, there is still so much more to do if we are to leave a legacy of clean water, fresh air, and a healthy planet for our children and for all of the species that live here. Because there is a chain of life that connects us all and, if even one species is threatened, we humans are threatened as well.

There are simple things that parents, teachers, and kids can do together and in the activity book, there are Six Steps to Care for Endangered Animals:

  1. Turn the lights off (less electricity use means less pollution)
  2. Place pictures on your windows (so birds won’t fly into them and hurt themselves)
  3. Reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic bags (animals often mistake plastic for food)
  4. Make your home wildlife friendly (keep garbage out of reach from wild animals)
  5. Plant a native garden (provide food and shelter for wildlife)
  6. Learn about endangered species in your area (so that you can better protect them)

Thank you so much, Ronna, for giving me the opportunity to shout out about EARTH DAY and about FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN. We only have one planet – and we need to take good care of it and all of its inhabitants.

 

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Interior artwork of turtles basking in sun from Four Otters Toboggan written by Vivian Kirkfield and illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen, Pomegranate Books ©2019.

 

A huge thanks to Vivian for writing her charming picture book and for this enlightening guest post. As global citizens, we are custodians of our world and must pay attention to the signs all around us that climate change, waste, pollution, and the poisoning of our waters with plastics and chemicals will not go away just by wishing it so. 

 

Vivian Kirkfield, BA, MS

Writer For Children – Reader Forever

Read my Blog

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Ava Dreams of Water for Earth Day 2016

AVA DREAMS OF WATER
Written by Nancy Moss
Illustrated by Sara McCall Ephron
($18.99, Ages 5-8)

 

AN EARTH DAY 2016 GUEST POST

 

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In honor of Earth Day, we’re sharing a guest post by Ava Dreams of Water author, Nancy Moss.

Ava Dreams of Water  began with the image of a boy in the remote Peruvian Amazon village of Yomybato …

Int_art_canoe_Ava_Dreams_of_WaterIn the sixteen years since the publication of A Long Walk to Water, awareness of the global need for clean water has grown, but unfortunately, so has the problem. Ava Dreams of Water strives to introduce younger kids to the issue, along with ideas for how they can help, and the power of friendship and dreams. I was inspired by the work of the non-profit Rainforest Flow, which brings clean water and sanitation systems to the Peruvian Amazon. Its founder, Nancy Santullo, told me about an amazing young boy in Yomybato – where a suspension bridge and slow sand filtration system had been built – who brings people across the local river in his family’s boat. In Ava Dreams of Water, I decided to connect this boy to a child in the United States by having them meet in their dreams. With a dash of magical realism, and the wondrous illustrations by Sara McCall Ephron, the characters of Ava and Juan have a true impact on one another, as I hope the book will have on the reader/pre-reader!

int_art-building_Ava_Dreams_of_WaterClean water is one of the most fundamental needs that humans have. Earth Day gives kids the opportunity to think about what they have, what others might be lacking, and what they can do to help. Clean, healthy drinking water is a resource that no one should take for granted! This is a global issue and, indeed, there’s a growing awareness and urgency regarding the lack of healthy water in some of our American communities as well. Books about the environment, green living, conversation, and the natural world all contribute to young readers’ breath of knowledge and curiosity. Knowing that other children do not have healthy water opens the door to empathy and action.

Ava Dreams of Water is about a real place where children just like themselves have had their lives transformed by the clean water and sanitation systems that been brought to them. Across the world, water is a health, economic, and overall quality of life issue. With a story of imagination, dreams and friendship, Ava Dreams of Water strives to embody the spirit of Earth Day by informing and inspiring a new generation of caretakers of the planet! The ability of children’s books to open minds, explore worlds, and spur creative and constructive imagination is extremely powerful. It’s our hope that Ava Dreams of Water shares the idea that it is possible to change the world for the better, one drop at a time.

int_art_fresh_water_Ava_Dreams_of_WaterA portion of the proceeds from Ava Dreams of Water  goes to Rainforest Flow, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has brought clean water to villages in the Amazon of Peru since 2003.

About Nancy Moss – Nancy lives in Los Angeles with her twin sons, Gabriel and Elias. She is a former film executive and screenwriter. Learn more about Nancy and Ava Dreams of Water  here.

About Sara McCall Ephron – Sara writes, illustrates, and teaches art in NYC. See more of Sara’s illustrations here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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