The Environment for Children
Picture Books by Dr Seuss, Graeme Base, Jeannie Baker and others
As part of a lesson plan or for the home, picture books can lead the way into discussing the environment with children.
The need to care for the environment is one of the most discussed topics in modern society.
We need to teach future generations about the importance of caring for their world, but it is not always easy to convey such ‘big picture’ concepts as global footprints and greenhouse gas emissions to young minds.
The following books are a wonderful way of introducing environmental issues in an entertaining approachable way. The stories are all well-crafted and enjoyable for themselves and will also provide an opening to discussions at a deeper level.
The Lorax – Dr Seuss (Random House, 1971)
In true Seussian style, this book is an adventure in language and imagination. A young boy goes to the Once-ler and asks to hear the story of the Lorax. He hears a tale of a beautiful land where the Truffula trees and wildlife (Swo-mee swans, Humming-fish and brown Bar-ba-loots) were plentiful. Into this world comes a businessman who cuts down the Truffula trees to produce Thneeds. The Lorax pleads the case of the trees and animals, but to no avail. A very cleverly written message on considering the consequences of our impact on the environment. It remains fun and entertaining throughout, but the message is clear.
The Waterhole – Graeme Base (Puffin, 2001)
The animals come to the waterhole to drink, but it gets progressively smaller and smaller as the reader counts down from ten to one. Each double page represents a different country including India, Africa, the Himalayas, South America and Europe. Hidden in each picture are ten animals from that country. In the final picture, when the waterhole is completely dry, there are ten extinct animals hidden. The illustrations are beautifully detailed and the interactive nature of the story as you search for the animals makes this book entertaining for parents and children alike. The Waterhole is a wonderful book highlighting the diversity of the animal kingdom.
Uno’s Garden – Graeme Base (Penguin Group, 2006)
Uno discovers a wonderful paradise with 10 different plants and 10 different animals (and a shy snortlepig). As others come to live with him as well, the number of buildings increases but the variety of plants and wildlife decreases. Filled with Graeme Base’s beautiful detailed illustrations, this book shows the importance of maintaining balance between man and nature. As with many of Base’s books, Uno’s Garden is an interactive picture book. In each picture there are a number of animals, plants and buildings to find as well as the elusive snortlepig, who hides on each double page.
Where the Forest meets the Sea – Jeannie Baker (see also Belonging) (Walker Books, 1988)
A young boy takes a walk through a rainforest on an island off the Australian coast. He imagines the rainforest as it may have been years ago – lush and densely inhabited. As he leaves, he imagines how it might be in the future as an over run tourist destination. The illustrations are collages that are visually striking and incredibly artistic. A very visually stimulating picture book, by an author who has a very strong and direct environmental message to impart. Many of Baker’s other children's books also highlight the impact humans have on our environment.
The Heart of the Tiger – Glenda Millard (Scholastic Press, 2004)
A young boy receives the gift of a wooden tiger. The tiger shares with him stories of a world the boy has never seen – where the rain falls, trees provide shade and the grass and leaves are green and beautiful. As the tiger speaks, the boy longs to experience this world. To do so, the tiger tells him that he must sacrifice something important to him. This story is touching and reinforces the message that nothing worthwhile is gained without cost.
These books are wonderful environmental resources for children to have at home and make a useful and thoughtful gift for a teacher of primary school-aged children.
