Go Green
The Flower Man
Submitted by special guest blogger Ms. Karen from the Lexington Park branch!
Are you a push-over for a great children’s picture book? Then pick up a copy of The Flower Man by Mark Ludy. A delightful wordless picture book, The Flower Man is the story of a bright-eyed old man (drawn in color) who moves into a dreary, unfriendly neighborhood (drawn in black and white), and proceeds to change it one person at a time through his generosity–and his flowers! As the Flower Man’s influence spreads, each page becomes brighter, and the highly detailed pictures which tell the stories of the town’s inhabitants will engage a child’s story-expanding imagination. Whether enjoyed together or “read” by a child alone, The Flower Man is sure to brighten your world too! See this book listed in our catalog
Jack’s Garden
Submitted by Ms. Jill!
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole is one of my all-time favorite books to read in the springtime, and it always inspires me to get outside and plant something! The cumulative text builds up, page by page, like the traditional story of “The House that Jack Built.” And page by page, beautiful drawings show the progress of a young boy’s garden throughout the growing season. Beginning with the title page, on which Jack and his father are shown laying out the garden beds, richly detailed drawings depict each stage in the garden’s growth. We see the soil that makes up the garden, the seeds, the rain, and the first tiny seedlings. The seedlings grow into plants, which sprout buds, which blossom into glorious flowers. Insects come to sip nectar, in turn attracting birds and other wildlife. By the end of the book, a simple plot of dirt is transformed into an extravagant garden and backyard habitat. Young readers will especially enjoy the details in the borders of the illustrations: garden tools, insects, birds, and bird eggs are all carefully drawn and labeled. (Fun fact: Ms. Jill got to meet the author in person, and he signed her copy of this book! He’s a very nice man.) See this book listed in our catalog
Planting the Trees of Kenya
Submitted by special guest blogger Ms. Amy from the Lexington Park branch!
An inspirational true story about my favorite type of hero: one who sees a big problem and finds “small” ways to set things right, Planting the Trees of Kenya by Claire A. Nivola is a great way to start a conservation conversation with your children! Wangari Maathai grew up in the mountainous highlands of Kenya, where she learned love and respect for the natural world in all its “simple” beauty. When she returns after attending college in the U.S., she is shocked and saddened by the ecologically damaged landscape of her homeland. She begins teaching her neighbors how to preserve the few trees that are left by saving seeds and planting seedlings. With time, hope, and tireless persistence, her efforts eventually grew to include her entire country and all its people, motivating people around the world to follow her example. This heartwarming tale beautifully demonstrates the concept of “everyday” heroism. Using simple language and luminous watercolor illustrations, Nivola brilliantly showcases Wangari Maathai’s life-long message of environmental responsibility. See this book listed in our catalog
Tess’s Tree
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
I will freely admit the first thing that drew me to Tess’s Tree by Jess M. Brallier, with illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds, is that my name is in the title. Besides my name, it also features trees, which I like, and a little girl with dark hair and bangs, just like me! But I’m not blogging about it for those reasons. I wanted to feature Tess’s Tree here because it has the potential to be a very important book in your child’s life. The book is about a little girl named Tess, and a tree that she loves very much, but more importantly the story is about coping with loss. See, Tess’s tree needs to be chopped down, and to help her mourn, a funeral is held for the tree. When Tess sees how many people cared for her tree, and that her tree lived a long, happy life, she feels better, and is able to let go of sad feelings, and say a proper goodbye. See this book listed in our catalog
All the World
Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!
And here is my second favorite picture book of 2009: All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee. The words of All the World are a poem about the earth which everyone shares. The illustrations are those of multi-cultural faces, in multi-cultural places, experiencing universal emotions and activities. Witness the beauty of nature, and the comfort of things we all do: eat, grow, travel, relax. “Hope and peace and love and trust. All the world is all of us.” I find this book to be a soothing meditation, well suited to the child curious as to how they figure into this big, whirling, planet that countless people call home. See this book listed in our catalog