Earth Day is celebrated each year in April, and with all the publicity on global warming and other environmental concerns, it can be a great theme for storytime. Even preschoolers can understand recycling, not littering, etc. There are plenty of craft ideas. The kids can make leaf rubbings or rock mosaics, which are free form art ideas that need very little instruction. They can also plant a seed to take home. Here are a few books on the topic, and don’t forget to check out the BayViews Storytime subject of Habitats, too:
Glaser, Linda. OUR BIG HOME: AN EARTH POEM. Celebrating water, the sun, and wind, this rhythmic story relates how humans share the planet with animals.
Base, Graeme. THE WATER HOLE. In this counting book, various animals drink from a shrinking water hole. Base’s dramatic paintings depict animals from around the world, and kids can pick out hidden animals in each picture.
Fleming, Denise. WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A WOOD. Fleming’s handmade paper collages dramatically illustrate a simple story of a forest replaced by houses and the animals that lost their home.
Burton, Virginia Lee. THE LITTLE HOUSE. Originally published in 1942, this timeless Caldecott winner depicts urban overgrowth and how it can damage our environment.
Ross, Anna. GROVER’S TEN TERRIFIC WAYS TO HELP OUR WONDERFUL WORLD. Grover and his friends on Sesame Street show how we can all do little things that will add up to a cleaner planet.
Cole, Henry. ON MEADOWVIEW STREET. Caroline converts her new suburban neighborhood to include an actual meadow.
Penny Peck, San Leandro Public Library