Recycle This!
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-- School Library Journal, 4/9/2008 1:09:00 PM
Kick off an introduction to Earth Day (April 22, 2008) with the following titles and a visit to the official Web site, which includes K–12 lesson plans. Adults may learn a thing or two about recycling, also!
GREEN, Jen. Why Should I Recycle? illus. by Mike Gordon. Barron’s. 2005. pap. $5.95. ISBN 978-0-7641-3155-4.
K-Gr 2–Thanks to her teacher and neighbor, Mr. Jones, a little girl’s family jumps on the recycling bandwagon. Mr. Jones takes his students on a class trip and explains how garbage can be transformed into useful things rather than go into a smelly, unattractive landfill. The text uses call-and-response format, and teacher’s notes and a bibliography are included.
MACKENZIE, Anne L. Let’s Recycle! Capstone/Pebble Bks. 2007. PLB $17.26. ISBN 978-0-7368-6323-0.
PreS-Gr 1–Terrific to use with emerging readers, this title is part of the “Caring for the Earth” series. Each spread includes a photograph with 15–20 words of text on the opposite page. There is great diversity in the kids and adults pictured as they explore different components of recycling, such as landfills, conserving water, and shopping for earth-friendly products. A brief glossary, bibliography, and index are included.
MURPHY, Stuart J. Earth Day–Hooray! illus. by Renee Andriani. HarperCollins. 2004. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-000127-8; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-000129-2.
Gr 1-3–Two books in one—an introduction to recycling and Earth Day and a lesson on computing place value. Part of Murphy’s popular “MathStart” series, this title takes readers along with Maple Street School’s Save-the-Planet Club as they attempt to collect 5,000 aluminum cans to fund a park beautification project. Illustrations include posters with recycling factoids, while the math side of the story is supported by the kids’ can collection and bagging activities.
WALLACE, Nancy Elizabeth. Recycle Every Day! Marshall Cavendish. 2003. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-5149-5; pap. $5.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-5290-4.
K-Gr 2–Minna’s class is working on a recycling calendar project, and her family pitches in to help her with ideas, from donating clothes that no longer fit to using cloth bags for shopping. The simple cut-paper illustrations make it easy for children to understand the concepts presented in the text. Two activities are included that reinforce recycling options and benefits.
Remarkable Reads are produced by the editors of NoveList, NoveList K-8, and Book Index with Reviews (
