Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare

Welcome back! I took a month long hiatus to celebrate the Christmas holidays, and discovered a delightful book by Patricia Polacco. Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare is a real treat to read. It is based on Polacco's childhood, where she dares her brother to join her ballet recital. In turn, she must practice hockey and join her brother's team. I performed a ministorytime featuring this book for the children of some family friends. We all agreed that the picture of Richie dressed in his ballet costume while swinging haphazardly over the stage was hilarious!

Book Recommendations?

I am interested in hearing if anybody would like to contribute their favourite children's (environmental) books -- if I ever have a spare moment, I always enjoy discovering new children's literature as well as following up on recommendations.

One of the most recent books for older children that I have read is the coming-of-age novel Replay by Sharon Creech, author of Walk Two Moons. The main character is Leo, a 13 year old, who dreams of acting, and who struggles to establish his own identity (especially in his large family). Although I occasionally found Leo's dreamy flashbacks a little confusing, I thought that the novel was well-written as a whole. I found it especially funny that Leo, who dreams of being a star actor, is cast in a bit part in his class play -- as an old crone!! If you ever have time, or, if you're like me and need a little light reading after doing homework, this book is definitely worth it!

Little Earth Book

I did not preface this blog title with "Environmental Children's Books" since James Bruges' The Little Earth Book is meant for older readers, and addresses social issues in addition to environmental ones. I discovered it through the environmental course that I took last year -- part of the book was incorporated into the class reader, and I ended up purchasing the book itself once the class had ended.

This book is a great read. It may literally be described as a "pocketbook" since it truly is a small book. The Little Earth Book is made up of several 2-3 page essays which clearly and concisely depict current environmental and social issues, especially exploring activities reducing global warming.

Although it is a very worthwhile read, this book may be difficult to locate in large bookstores.

Environmental books: Prince William

Continuing the theme of environmental children's books, I also recommend the book "Prince William" by Gloria Rand. It may provide a way to introduce children to the danger of environmental disasters, including oil spills. In this picture book, a young girl rescues a baby seal from an oil spill, and helps him return home.

Environmental Children's Books

Last year, I took a really interesting course which studied contemporary society and its impacts on the environment. It really got me thinking about my own actions and their impacts on the environment. Since I am interested in becoming a children's (or youth services) librarian, I thought I'd put together a list of environmental books I have enjoyed for these age groups. I hope that this list continues to grow in future.



The book "We are the Weathermakers," by Tim Flannery is first on my list. I would recommend it for older middleschool or for high school readers. I read it, actually, coming out of last year's environmental class. This book addressed many of the same current issues that we discussed in class, especially regarding climate change, using clear, direct language. It is an excellent read.

FISt Impressions: The Eleventh Hour

FISt Impressions: The Eleventh Hour

If any of you ever has a moment of time to spare, or feels that there is a need to destress, then I encourage you to check out the book The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base.

Although it at first seems like nothing more than a rhyming picture book, there is more to the book than first meets the eye. The large and elaborate illustration require in-depth investigation, especially once the main story (an elephant's birthday party) becomes a mystery (the readers must discover the thief of the party food). The pictures become especially important: the readers must use both the evidence from the coloured illustrations and encrypted messages to solve the mystery.

It is a delightful book for readers of all ages!