Why Should I Recycle? Book

"Recycling is kind to nature. Its saves money' and its fun!"

Jen Green's informational text, Why Should I Recycle?, is a wonderful read for children. She hones in on a very important job we must do to keep our Earth healthy and clean: recycling. The book starts off with two children explaining how their family used to always through everything in the garbage. This all changed when they saw their neighbor, Mr. Jones, recycling his cans, bottles, and papers. Mr. Jones also happened to be their teacher; and therefore, was able to explain the importance of recycling to them in class. One day, he took all his students to a recycling center where the children explored the many different containers old material was placed to make new material. He explained how the cans can be melted down and recycled into new metal objects such as bikes and scooters. The field trip turned out to be a great success because the students wanted to educate their own families on the importance of recycling. The book shows examples of families buying recycled items from the store and even turning old food items into compost to be used at home. In the end, recycling was turned into a fun family responsibility they would continue to do.
This informational text is a fantastic read for all elementary ages K-5. Not only does Jen Green include the importance of recycling, but she also includes multiple ways that families can recycle together. It is incredibly important for children at a young age to learn how and why we recycle for the health and safety of our planet. Sometimes, we might get lost in thinking recycling can be too much of a hassle, but Green includes fun ways for families to do it together. I truly liked how the book also shows a teacher involving his students in the importance of recycling and how he explained the actual process at the recycling center. Teachers can use this book to relate to their own class by comparing themselves to Mr. Jones and the students to those in the story. Teachers can even have their students create other engaging ways to make recycling fun! I highly recommend this story for the sake of teaching students the importance of recycling and why we must do it to keep our planet safe and healthy.