True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet Book

True Green Kids is the one book every home should have for the next generation. This vital children’s title is an innovative collection of fun and practical ways to help kids become agents for environmental change in their world.

With fresh, new strategies and a bright, friendly design, True Green Kids invites the whole family to embark on an eco-adventure through a series of fun ideas that can be applied everywhere from the living room to the local park. Underscoring its message of individual awareness and action with beautiful color illustrations and lively text, the book puts an energetic spin on conservation, making environmental stewardship exciting and empowering for young kids. With a foreword by Clean Up the World Ambassador and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David de Rothschild, this volume brings the core message that you can make a difference to a younger audience in an engaging, educational way. While primarily aimed at kids, the book also encourages the active involvement of parents, teachers, and other members of the community, making it a vital addition to every library, home, and classroom.

Children's Literature

Beginning with recommendations for being green "in your room," this book, aimed at encouraging and supporting children to live "greener" lives, is neither didactic nor preachy. The suggestions are broken down into various areas of daily life and include chapters on being green: "at home, outdoors, with friends, buying stuff, at school, on vacation, etc." The different sections have introductory information that explains how certain actions, even small ones, can change our impact on the planet. There is discussion about the "carbon footprint" each of us leaves on the earth and how our actions can reduce the negative effects of our "footprints." The use of vibrant colors and many photographs of actual children in real-life situations make the book very accessible and appealing. Item number 61 of the 100 Things is about Earth Day, held worldwide on April 22, and it encourages participation to acknowledge the need to protect Earth's resources. In 2007, Earth Hour began, with people around the world turning off their lights for one hour to raise awareness of the need to reduce coal-produced electricity. Other items in the 100 Things include thinking native, by growing native plants and encouraging wildlife in backyard "habitats" by providing water and plants that support local wildlife, birds, frogs, and so forth. Craft projects, team events, and the encouragement of creativity in approaching this serious subject all help keep the tone of the book positive. With each of the suggested activities, there are intriguing questions to stimulate deeper thinking, as well as concrete instructions for projects such as "creating your own worm farm" or growing your own snacks in an "edible garden."Many excellent resources are listed throughout the book, and there is an extensive listing of websites in the back matter. There is also a glossary to help with unfamiliar vocabulary. This is a very useful guide to the issues facing all of us, with an emphasis on how young people and their families can make a difference. The book is direct, straightforward and informative, while presenting ideas and projects that can actually be implemented by everyone. Every library should make this (and the others in the "True Green" series) book available. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan