Eco-Smart Book List

 

1. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Ages 6+.

First published in 1971, The Lorax serves as an ecological warning of the overuse of resources and destruction of habitat in the style of Dr. Seuss with "brilliantly whimsical rhymes, delightfully original creatures, and weirdly undulating illustrations." Quoted from Amazon book review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden. Ages 5+

Beautifully illustrated, this humorous story follows the town curmudgeon on his journey to rid his town of the trash it is being buried under.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Ages 5+. Winner of the American Book Award

Book description from Amazon:

"Seeking adventure in faraway places, Miss Rumphius fulfills her dream and then sets out to make the world more beautiful."

 

 

 

 

4. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Ages 3+

This book captures an adventurous spirit as a young girl and her father set out past her bedtime to go owling in the moonlight. This is an honest book with a realistic story line. There is no personification of animals, a rare find in the children's book world.  The book won the 1988 Caldecott Medal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Ages 1+

Another timeless classic, this story chronicles a young boy's lifelong relationship with a tree. Though the message is unclear, leaving it open for interpretation, the boy starts out in his innocence enjoying all the glory of the intact tree. As he ages, he visits the tree less often and when he does, he takes something of the tree and this continues until nothing is left but a stump. Though the boy keeps taking, he continues to be unhappy, until he is old and weary and no longer needs anything but a tree to rest upon.