Some Earth Day Picks

Some Earth Day Picks

Actually Earth Day/Week/Month should be Earth Year every year.
If we want to heal this beautiful, fragile planet that sustains us and
all other species it's gotta be a marathon commitment, not a series of
sprints. Recently I've discovered some fine books that share
important messages with younger readers and listeners.
Eric Carle is one of America's most beloved picture book writers
and illustrators. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was a read aloud staple
in my children's early years. I managed to snag two enchanting
volumes from the World of Eric Carle series, both covering aspects of
metamorphosis. How Does A Caterpillar Change? explains the egg to
butterfly transition. In How Does An Egg Hatch? our friend, the very
hungry catterpillar checks out how chickens are brought into the
world. Both books are charmingly, whimsically illustrated--true
toddler treats.
Sonia Sotomayor's Just Help! should appeal to the early
elementary crowd. It follows a girl through a day in which she and
her friends are engaged in helping projects, a number of them ecology
related. When her mother, tucking her into bed at night, asks what
she did to help that day she has a beautiful epiphany.
This is not just a read and set aside idea. It's chock full of
ideas on ways kids can make a difference. A number can be useful for
groups like brownies. And how about the potential for family
activities and traditions?
From the small one in Bangor where my niece and nephew played
growing up to giants like New York's Central Park they dot our
nation. Maine residents are quite partial to our Acadia. My personal
favorite, though, is a tenting site on the bank of the Machias River.
Get there early enough and you can sleep close enough to the river to
hear it running and bubbling. One night when Adam was about in middle
school we sneaked out of the tent to watch a spectacular meteor shower
undiminished by light pollution.
So where do our cherished parks come from? Elizabeth
Partridge's Parks for the People gives middle grade readers the story
of one of the primary park architects: Frederick Law Olmstead. This
beautifully illustrated volume also gives fascinating details on some
of this nation's most fascinating green spaces.
It's a fascinating narrative. Olmstead had to overcome a lot of
obstacles because of the times he was born into. Historical events
such as the Civil War had a way of messing with his plans. But he
persisted with his vision of parks being accessible to all: Black as
well as white, poor tenement dwellers as well as wealthy mansion
owners, and the newest immigrants as well as families with centuries
long citizenship. He truly made a mark on the America we now inhabit.
One of Parks for the People's real strengths is that it doesn't
shy away from the dark side of Olmstead's mission.
"Some of Olmstead's parks were built where no one lived, but
some had rich human stories going on just before the parks were
created, like Seneca Village and the Yosemite Valley. Ironically,
Olmstead's commitment to preserving and creating open land didn't
extend to protecting the communities of people living on that land,
many of whom were Black, Indigenous, or poor whites."
On a purrrsonal note, I'm spending this week at home mostly resting,
reading, writing, and building up my strength so I can work Clean
Sweep the next couple of weeks. I'm on what must be the hail Mary
antibiotic of the medication world, the thou shalt not prescribe this
unless nothing else can work. There are so many potential lethal side
effects the first few days taking the pills felt like playing Russian
roulette. Lucky for me Eugene is cooking and doing dishes. My
primary care provider says I'm coming along really well. Now I just
have to see the urologist who put in my stent on Tuesday so she can
decided how to exorcise the stone. (Jules)
She's getting better, better, BETTER!!! YASSS!!! (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene.
Tobaggo and Jules Hathaway





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