Happy Earth Day & Happy Reading

I hope you can all take some time this week to read about our beautiful planet and learn more about how to ensure its longevity for future generations.  These are favorites of mine and I hope you all enjoy them as well.

Happy Earth Day & Happy Reading,

Angie Maxson-DeFeyter

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown is a DeFeyter Family favorite!  Be sure to take notice of the finer details if you read this book with your children.

“While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.” -Goodreads

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon,  Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

I received this gem as a gift from a parent several years ago.  I enjoyed reading to my class each year. It offers a sweet message of connection.

“Following a circle of family and friends through the course of a day from morning till night, this book affirms the importance of all things great and small in our world, from the tiniest shell on the beach, to warm family connections, to the widest sunset sky.” -Goodreads

And the Good Brown Earth by Kathy Henderson Quickly became a favorite in my classroom each year.  My favorite part was the connection between grandmother and grandson as they garden through the seasons.  Charlie’s garden was ‘higgly piggly’ and Nan’s in neat rows, both beautiful.

“Winter, summer, rain or shine, Nan and Charlie visit and tend their vegetable patch. Sometimes they dig, sometimes they sow, and sometimes they just lie in the long green grass and sing – and all the while, the good brown earth gets on with doing what the good brown earth does best.” -Goodreads

Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg was a book I read each week when I was an outdoor science educator.  Over the years while teaching in the classroom grades 2-5 I read this one at least once a year.   It’s a book that makes me pause as I read so that the tears don’t flow. Read carefully and take notice of the sweet ending.

“Young Walter litters and refuses to sort trash for recycling until he dreams of an overcrowded and polluted future which terrifies him into taking care of the earth.”-Goodreads

The Wump World by Bill Peet Years ago a parent loaned this classic to me, and the class wanted me to read it again and again.  “The Pollutians invade the Wump World and turn the green meadows into a concrete jungle.” -Goodreads  Published in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day.

From a quick internet search, I found this list of  books at the Middle School level with environmental themes.  I’ve shared Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman,  Judy Pedersen (Illustrations) from the list, earlier in the year but it’s worth mentioning again.