With spring comes a whole bunch of environmentally themed awareness days like Earth Day, National Wildlife Week, Endangered Species Day and World Ocean Day. This year, let’s commit to picking at least one of those days (or finding a different one) that we’re passionate about, so we can try and work together to make the world a better place one animal or plant at a time.
One way that we can help our children get involved is simply by learning to appreciate the outdoors. Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak (Henry Holt and Company, 2020), is a great book to show our children what this looks like. This story celebrates both the beauty of winter and the wonder of spring as a young boy and his dog walk through the forest and say “Hello” to everything they meet. Perhaps after reading it, you and your child can go for a walk in a local park, like Stanley Park, and greet (from a safe distance) the flora and fauna that you encounter there. For ages 4 to 7.
Maybe getting to a park is a bit of a challenge for you. That’s okay, The City Tree by Shira Boss and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez (Clarion Books, 2023) reminds us that we can appreciate nature right where we are. This is a simple story, told from the perspective of a young girl named Dani, about the importance of having trees on city streets. But the real treasure in this book is the stories told in the pictures. Be prepared to sit with this book for a while, every time I tried to turn the page my two-year-old got upset because she wasn’t finished finding the birds, cats and other animals. Each page is a look-and-find, that allows you and your child to discover how Dani and her neighbours spend their time. For ages 4 to 7.
A third story you might enjoy is The Dancing Trees by Masiana Kelly and illustrated by Michelle Simpson (Inhabit Media. 2021). This book is about a young boy named Thomas. One day his friends get tired of his bragging, so when he says he can spend the night in the woods on his own, they tell him to prove it. While looking for a campsite, Thomas angers the trees by dropping garbage, ripping bark off them and snapping their branches. To teach him a lesson, they dance into new places while he is sleeping. For ages 7 to 10.
If trees don’t intrigue your children, but they still want to do something to help, they might enjoy reading No More Plastic by Alma Fullerton (Pajama Press, 2021). Isley loves hearing the sounds of the ocean when she wakes up. But one day, the sky isn’t filled with the whooshing of water or the cries of gulls, it’s filled with panicked voices as people try to save a beached whale. When the whale dies, researchers discover it ate a ton of plastic. Isley is devastated and decides to clean up the beach to save the whales. One of the coolest parts of this book is the artwork, which is made with found plastic waste, moss, sand and paint. I know picking up garbage can be dangerous, but maybe you and your child could investigate a group clean-up and learn how to do it safely. Who knows, maybe your child can make their own sculpture like Isley and inspire others. For ages 4 to 7.
If your child wants to help, but they don’t know how or they think they’re too young, they may enjoy A Mermaid with No Tail by Jessica Long and illustrated by Airin O’Callaghan (Sounds True, 2023). This book is a great story about how differences can be gifts. On top of being an author, Long is also one of the most decorated athletes of all time, and this is her story. Like the mermaid Tatiana who has no tail fins, Long had her legs amputated below the knee, but she did not let that stop her from winning 16 gold medals in the Paralympic games as well as several other medals. The illustrations in this story are absolutely magical. The vibrancy of the underwater world that O’Callaghan has created makes me wish that I could sprout a mermaid tail and swim in the seas with Tatiana, the turtles and Phelpsy the shark. For ages 4 to 7.
I hope you and your family can spend some time reading these books, and then get outside and make a difference in your community. It might not seem like a lot, but every little bit counts.
