Comments on: Green Series: Eco Kids Books

By: Madeline Kaplan

Madeline Kaplan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:19:20 +0000

Actually, I do know a title you missed. I humbly ask that you review a copy of “Planet Earth Gets Well” which is currently available on http://www.amazon.com as well as on other online websites.

http://www.treehugger.com gave it a wonderful review and I am hoping that you will do the same!

Many thanks!
Madeline Kaplan
http://www.planetearthgetswell.com

By: Jennifer Lance

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:02:48 +0000

Marina,
I think that Lifetimes is the perfect book for presenting natural death to children. It is beautifully illustrated and presents death as natural as birth.
Lifetimes

By: marina

marina — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:14:56 +0000

Hi, can anyone here help me find a book on nature’s way of dealing with the death of an animal, for young children. I’m looking for a book that will explain why all living things die and what purpose the dead has on the earth ie. biodegrading, feeding other animals etc. Thank you.

By: Tarab

Tarab — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:44:43 +0000

Hey!…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Tuesday

By: Raz Godelnik

Raz Godelnik — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:02:46 +0000

Ashley,

Thank you for this great list and also for mentioning Eco-Libris.

I would like to add another book to your list – The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. You can find today a recommendation on this book written by Stefani Newman of teensygreen on our holiday green gift guide for book lovers.

This guide is aimed to help people find the best green books to give as gifts this holiday season.

http://ecolibris.blogspot.com/2007/11/tiny-seed-holiday-green-gift-guide-for.html

Raz Godelnik
Eco-Libris
http://www.ecolibris.net

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:13:40 +0000

Hi Kendra -
I think that any great piece of literature allows its readers to extrapolate multiple themes and ideas. I’m glad to hear another perspective on “The Giving Tree” — very interesting!

Ashley
http://www.ChildrensMediaConsultant.com

By: Jennifer Lance

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:47:59 +0000

I agree with your comments Kendra. Although I am nostalgic about The Giving Tree, the message is strange. When I have read it to my own children, we have used it as a basis for discussion about what giving and taking really means. I also use it to discuss resources usage, and how when you cut down a tree, that is it for that living thing.

This is what I wrote about the book for Green Family Values (http://jenniferlance.greenoptions.com/2007/06/06/green-family-values-environmental-childrens-literature/):
“The anthropomorphism of the tree endears readers to feel compassion for her self-sacrifice and for all the trees that have been felled for human use. The book has been criticized for its message of self-sacrifice on the part of the tree and the selfishness of the boy; however, the end result demonstrates that the boy did not need all the material items he got from the tree’s resources to find true happiness. This message is important for children to hear in our culture of overconsumerism. The Giving Tree is open to multiple interpretations which may change with every reading.”

By: Kendra Holliday

Kendra Holliday — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:27:32 +0000

I totally agree with all of these choices except The Giving Tree. I don’t think the book relays a message about nature at all, much less a positive one. A tree is supposed to last multiple human generations, not just one! I think the tree is a symbol for a mother and reinforces 1) the sexist attitude our society maintains about how mothers should sacrifice everything for their children, and 2) how greedy American children can be. I wish the book would be rewritten and titled “The SHARING Tree” and ends with a bunch of the boy’s friends swinging through the branches, eating apples and someday bringing their own children to the tree.