Chatting About Books:
Recommendations for Young Readers

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Episode 1—Celebrating the Earth

Book Chat

• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1971)
  The Once-ler cuts down all the Truffala trees in order to make Thneeds, “a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need.” It’s no coincidence that Thneed rhymes with greed! The Once-ler ends up destroying the environment despite the Lorax’s persistent warnings. But don’t worry! There’s hope at the end if YOU are willing to go out there and make things different.
  Best for grades K to 2, ages 5 to 8.
  
  
• The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon (Scholastic, 2007)
  A fun, engaging informational book about the science behind global warming and what kids can do to stop it. With catchy headings such as “A Greenhouse Gas is not Caused by an Orchid Grower Who Ate Too Many Beans,” your kids are sure to get a kick out of this book while learning about a current environmental issue.
  Best for grades 2 to 5, ages 8 to 11.
  
  
• 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth by The EarthWorks Group (Andrews and McMeel, 1990)
  A book filled with information about why it is important to take care of our Earth and how to do it. This book has projects ranging from simple, everyday actions (remember to turn off the lights) to more involved community-based projects (how to start a recycling program at your school). 50 Simple Things is a great resource for service learning organizations, families, and teachers.
  Best for grades K to 5, ages 5 to 11.

Cookies and Milk
Marci, Robert, Kennedy, and Cameron enjoy chewy chocolate chip cookies while chatting with Emily about the books above. The kids responded really well to The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming and 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth. The family plans to start making small steps toward environmental action as a result of reading these books.

About the Host

Emily Manning started teaching first grade in 1999 and is now a reading intervention teacher for third- through fifth-graders. Emily’s passion is reading; she enjoys the challenge each year of finding books that will spark the love of reading in her students. Emily’s favorite books are the ones kids ask to read over and over — the ones that are worn out from so many readings, complete with wrinkled pages and loose bindings.

These include

• Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman (Scholastic, 1997)
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Yearling, 2001)
• The Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub (Tortuga, 2000)
• The Magical, Marvelous, Mystical Coat by Catherine Ann Cullen (Little, Brown, 2001)
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Puffin, 2004)