Reading about Nature

Comment

Comment by Marilyn Brennan on March 24, 2009 at 11:14am

Great word of caution! Thanks Jeanine, it reminds us to really be careful about our messages....AND to foster that love of nature...not scare them. Yes, I've seen some of those books for young ones...and I've also spoken to teachers that are so fanatical and scared themselves that they pass on that fear to the children they're teaching. Needless to say, it doesn't inspire any hope in the children.

Comment by Jeanine Silversmith on March 24, 2009 at 9:24am

One word of caution when selecting books for younger kids (elementary and pre-school age): Try not to pick books filled with the gloom-and-doom aspect of conservation. I'm a firm believer in Ecophobia (David Sobel http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=803), which is the concept that if we want children to develop a desire to protect the environment, then we must first foster their appreciation of nature and love of the Earth. Otherwise, children simply disconnect from it all. You'd be amazed at how many books are out there for really little ones (think toddlers) that focus on environmental degradation.

Comment by Marilyn Brennan on March 12, 2009 at 3:00pm

Thanks, Judy!!! I believe Jeanine posted the link on the advisor's site also.

Comment by Judith Unis on March 12, 2009 at 2:56pm

For Immediate Release
Contact: Nancy Marasco
410-430-8351
2009 National Green Earth Book Award Winners Announced
February 2, 2009, -- McLean, Va. -- The Newton Marasco Foundation (NMF) has
announced the winners of the leading national environmental book awards for
literature that inspires young readers to appreciate and care for the environment. The
2009 Green Earth Book Awards highlight the best in environmental reading for
children and young adults.
NMF, a non-profit public environmental charity, partners with Salisbury University
in Maryland to honor and promote environmental books that not only raise awareness
of environmental issues, but also instill a sense of responsibility for nurturing, protecting and defending
the natural environment. The Green Earth Book Award is the nation’s first environmental stewardship
book award for children and young adult literature.
There are six winners who will receive this year’s 2009 Green Earth Book Awards:
Co-Winners – Picture Book Category
Planting the Trees of Kenya
written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
(published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books
for Young Readers)
Varmints
written by Helen Ward and
illustrated by Marc Craste
(published by Candlewick Press)
Winner – Nonfiction Category
My Space/Our Planet
written by the Myspace Community,
Jeca Taudte, and Dan Santat
(published by The Bowen Press)
Winner – Children’s Fiction Category
Night of the Spadefoot Toads
written by Bill Harley
(published by Peachtree Publishers)
Co-Winners – Young Adult Fiction Category
Blind Faith Hotel, written by Pamela Todd
(published by Margaret K. McElderry
Books/Simon and Schuster Children's
Publishing)
Write Naked, written by Peter Gould
(published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books
for Young Readers)
“Each of these books are worthy of the Green Earth Book Award because they inspire our children – our
next generation of environmental stewards – to care for the earth,” said Amy Marasco Newton, president
and founder of the Newton Marasco Foundation. “Whether through lively storytelling, beautiful
illustrations, or timely eco-tips, these award winning books teach our youth how they can make a
difference in protecting our planet. Parents and teachers can turn to these books throughout the year to
give important environmental lessons to children.”
Planting the Trees of Kenya, written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola, recounts the story of how
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement,
encouraged and taught villagers in Kenya to replant the life-sustaining trees that were cleared over
many years.
In Varmints, written by Helen Ward and illustrated by Marc Craste, striking, surreal illustrations and
a haunting, evocative text tell a mysterious tale of a threatened natural world —and a hopeful new
start. Varmints tells of a pastoral world in need of protection and of the souls who love it enough to
ensure its regeneration.
My Space/Our Planet, written by Myspace Community, Jeca Taudte, and Dan Santat, is a valuable
eco-guide that outlines the steps that we can take every single day to save our environment from
damage and destruction. Geared for ages 14 and up, the book reminds us that we each have the power
to make a difference and includes tips from MySpace users around the globe on subjects ranging from
the clothes we buy to the food we eat.
In Night of the Spadefoot Toads, written by Bill Harley, newcomer Ben and his eccentric fifth grade
science teacher explore the varied habitat in Massachusetts and the endangered spadefoot toads that
make their home there. This story tells of a courageous and impulsive act that Ben takes to protect
the toads’ habitats from land developers.
In Blind Faith Hotel, written by Pamela Todd, fourteen-year-old Zoe feels like her whole world is
going to pieces when her family moves halfway across the country to a run down farmhouse in the
Midwest. A petty thievery puts her into a program for juvenile delinquents, and places her under the
guidance of an elderly man determined to save the prairies and the indigenous plants that grow there.
Funny and poignant, sharp-eyed and real, this is a portrait of a girl looking for her own true self and a
place she can call home.
Write Naked, written by Peter Gould, begins when Victor sneaks off with an old typewriter to test out
the saying “You have to be naked to write.” He expects solitude; instead he meets Rose Anna, a free
spirit with an antique fountain pen and a passion to save the planet. Their unexpected encounter
marks the beginning of an inspired writing partnership – featuring a quirky love story and an
ecological fantasy featuring a tiny heroic newt. Together, the teens explore the possibility of
connections – to one another, the woods outside, and the world beyond.
Over 100 books were submitted across the four categories. Each award includes $2,000 to the winning
author and illustrator, as well as the contribution of winning books to schools and youth organizations in
the Greater Washington DC area.
Since 2005, the Newton Marasco Foundation has honored 15 books with the Green Earth Book Awards
and recognized 29 Honor Books. The awards are part of the annual Children's and Young Adult Literature
Festival at Salisbury University, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
In addition to the award winners, the 2009 Honor Books are:
10 Things I Can Do to Help My World
written and illustrated by Melanie Walsh (published by Candlewick Press)
Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery
written by David A. Adler and illustrated by Joy Allen (published by Viking Children's Books, a
division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Fern Verdant and the Silver Rose
written by Diana Leszczynski (published by Random House Children's Books)
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life
written by Linda Siversten and Tosh Siversten (published by Simon Pulse/Simon and Schuster
Children's Publishing)
How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global
Warming
written by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch (published by Dawn Publications)
Science Warriors: The Battle Against Invasive Species
written by Sneed B. Collard III (published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Last Wild Place
written by Rosa Jordan (published by Peachtree Publishers)
The Wolves Are Back
written by Jean Craighead George and illustrated byWendell Minor (published by Dutton Children's
Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Tin Lizzie
written and illustrated by Allan Drummond (published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young
Readers)
Whirlwind
written by David Klass (published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
When Santa Turned Green
written by Victoria Perla and illustrated by Mirna Kantarevic (published by Thomas Nelson Inc.)
The 2009 Green Earth Book Awards are supported by Salisbury University, Constellation Energy,
Comcast, Delmarva Recycling, Affiliated Power Purchasers International, and Pepsi Bottling
Ventures of Delmarva.
Awards will be presented to the winning authors on April 14, 2009 at the Ward Museum in Salisbury,
Maryland.
###
The Newton Marasco Foundation’s mission is to inspire responsible environmental stewardship. NMF designs
innovative programs that foster learning, appreciation and caring for our natural environment. The foundation
promotes awareness and responsibility for the environment by individuals, schools, businesses and communities. The
foundation educates companies on sustainable green business practices and promotes the conservation and restoration
of unique community ecosystems and habitats. The foundation conducts award programs that recognize small deeds
and great acts that promote environmental awareness and further sustainable, environmental solutions.
For more information, visit www.newtonmarascofoundation.org.