I love to read or have my grandson Bryce read to me!  The summertime is a great opportunity for reading, because he is out of school and at my house!  I found reading to be a great way to keep him quiet, relaxed, and it is fun to see his imagination at work.  

Reading during the summer helps children to maintain their reading levels while they are out of school.  

Below you will find some of Keep Liberty Beautiful favorite fun environmental-themed books.  

Once in a while Bryce would say to me “Nana remember when you read that funny book to me?” and he would have the biggest smile on his face.  Reading is something we at Keep Liberty Beautiful like to do when we visit the Liberty County Pre-K classrooms or act out a book at one of the elementary schools.  

I hope you get to read “Green” this summer and make some wonderful memories with your children or grandchildren.  

Here are some of our suggestions as well as some suggestions from librarians for your children’s summertime reading pleasure and maybe yours, too. 

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” by Rozanne Lanczak Williams.

This book provide questions you can ask you child before you read, during your reading and after you finish reading.  This book is short and does a wonderful job explaining to a “Little One” why it is important to recycle.  

“The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story about Recycling” by Alison Inches.

It is sometimes hard for kids to understand the importance of recycling, and where that waste actually goes once it leaves your recycle bin. This book does a great job of bringing the journey of a plastic bottle to life. Told from the point of view of the bottle itself (complete with diary entries!), the story follows the bottle from its creation, through its life, to its recycling transformation into a fleece jacket. 

“The Wartville Wizard” by Don Madden.

The town of Wartville is being buried in trash! Oh my! Then one tidy old man figures out a way to get rid of the trash forever! The illustrations are as humorous as the story line.

“Michael Recycle” by Ellie Bethel.

A sort-of super hero comes to life when a flash of green crash-lands in the local garbage dump of the messy, trash-filled town of Abberdoo-Rimey. Michael Recycle has a plan to save the town as well as the world!

“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss.

This timeless classic written by Seuss decades ago has a timeless message about conserving the earth’s natural resources. The message is as powerful now as it was when he wrote this charming tale.

“The Day the Trash Came Out to Play” by David M. Beadle.

A boy named Robin carelessly tosses a candy wrapper on the ground and starts a chain reaction of events that eventually teaches him---and his community-- about the problems with litter and the importance of taking care of his neighborhood. You will never see trash the same way after reading this funny little story.

“Julian Rodriguez: Episode One Trash Crisis on Earth” by Alexander Stadler.

This is a hilarious paperback for adolescents. Alien Julian Rodrigues is  disguised as an eight year old boy on Earth. It is up to him to avert the trash crisis and save us all from annihilation!

“The Camping Trip that Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Our National Parks” by Barb Rosenstock.

This is a wonderful story for young readers about a little-known historical camping trip that spurred the creation of national parks and protected public wilderness. The illustrations are as delightful as the story.  

“Mr. King’s Things” by Genevieve Cote.

Mr. King is overwhelmed by his possessions! His story is a playful message about the repercussions of over-consumption.  That is a message we all need to think about these days.

So whether you and your children are sitting in the sun on the patio or hanging out on the beach or just getting that last little snuggle before bedtime, I hope you will try out some of these delightful message-themed books that we can all treasure. 

For more ideas on growing your children’s ‘green”, check out Keep Liberty Beautiful at www.keeplibertybeautiful.org or visit our office in the Liberty County Community Complex in Midway.