Earth Year

     This past week when I was pushing myself to get everything done on time I received a lovely box of books for younger readers and listeners on Earth Day related topics.  Well Earth Week may have come and gone.  But this fragile planet that we call home--the only one that we know has all that is required to sustain life--requires more than seasonal celebrations.  It requires year round dedication.  And it needs us to teach our children and grandchildren well.

     I think very few of us didn't either read our children about or hear the story of that very hungry caterpillar who ate its way through everything en route to becoming a butterfly.  In the Very Hungry Caterpillar's Garden Friends textured pages add to the fun of accompanying the miniature protagonist on a morning stroll.  A very sturdy board book, it's designed to survive the affection of the toddler set.  BTW you don't have to be a kid to identify with the very hungry one.  As a graduate student I'm chowing down on every bit of knowledge and experience I can get in my quest to become a beautiful professional butterfly.

     Eric Loves Animals (Just Like You) is a feast for true Carle fans.  This coffee table sized tome is a treasure chest of his illustrations of a menagerie of the creatures great and small that fly, swim, crawl, and race across the face of our home planet.  This gorgeous, colorful volume even includes some previously unpublished artwork.  It's sprinkled with Carle's thoughts

     "I've come to realize that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is about hope.  You, like the little caterpillar, will grow up, unfold your wings, and fly off into the future."

     "When you are making art, you are meant to be free and open to paint whatever you like."

     Those are two of my favorites.  

     The reasons that Carle and Maine's own Ashley Bryan are my favorite artists is that their art is both amazing and not distancing.  You go to a museum or church in somewhere in France and you think Whoa!  GENIUS!  But you're less likely to draw or paint because you aren't good enough.  It's like the only people who deserve to create art are the professionals.  But it isn't rocket science or brain surgery.  When I look at these artists' work at the same time I'm admiring their brilliance I'm getting ideas for something I want to draw or paint or create in other ways. 

     So that is why, with my kids grown and flown and no grands on the horizon, I'm keeping the book rather than donating it to the library.

     BTW Carle and I have the same favorite animal--the cat!!!

     Amazing Insects Around the World and Amazing Animals Around the World are must acquire picture books for critter loving kids and school and public libraries.  Did you know that out planet hosts over a million known species of insects and 8.7 million animal species?  Both lavishly illustrated books celebrate the incredible diversity of non human beings and their really clever evolutionary adaptations.  

     Ensuring the survival of these incredible species and also our own will require a lot of scientists determined to advance knowledge in the face of ignorance and prejudice.  Chelsea Clinton's She Persisted in Science celebrates remarkable women scientists who had to overcome sexism in addition to a host of other biases.  Each biography includes a special quote.  And the women are a diverse group.  Budding scientists will learn about:

*Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win Britain's top architectural prize;

*Temple Grandin who made a career of improving life for animals;

*Grace Hopper, an early computer innovator;

And so many other intriguing innovators.

     Last but not least is Aimee Isaac's The Planet We Call Home is a sweet adaptation of the classic House that Jack built.  Starting with "This is our Earth, the planet we call home" it builds on with snippets about the sun, a stream, a farm, a river...ending with "the children who cherish the Earth."  This inspiring picture book includes a list of ways that children and families can help prevent pollution.

On a purrrsonal note, Wednesday was the day of my grand finale Commuter Lounge event.  We had a table of adoptable stuffed animals and birth certificates from Black Bear Animal Shelter; a table where people could turn unwanted tee shirts into dog toys for the Waterville Humane Society, and a table of adult coloring pages.  We had so many people chilling and enjoying all we had to offer.  My internship supervisor stopped by and was so happy to see the place come to life.  A lot of people thanked me for creating the event.  Some came on campus specifically to attend it.  (Jules)

Carle is right.  Cats rule!  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone