Good green reads for kids
Whilst TV can be a necessary evil when you want a moment's peace from your children, you can rest assured that programme makers are on the ball when it comes to becoming more planet loving. We have previously reviewed Bob The Builder's move to recycling but the latest show for young un's is Lunar Jim. Lunar Jim is about a group of astronauts who live on the planet Moonaluna. I love 'Eco' (unsurprisingly, the one dressed in green), a 'space farmer' and self proclaimed friend to nature. He grows fruit and veg in the lunar ecodome (think Eden project) and absolutely insists on organic and eco-friendly living. Hooray! Do you think a new eco generation is on its way? Ok, so the first plan would be prise the kids away from the TV. How about a good green read instead?
How about a heart warming tale of one little girl's correspondence with Greenpeace? Emily is worried that the whale in her pond is unhappy and she wants Greenpeace to help. Dear Greenpeace (pictured) is written and illustrated by Simon James. Priced at £4.99 (available at Amazon) and suitable for ages 3-6.
Paul McCartney's (not forgetting Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardaph) children's book 'High in the Clouds' sends an environmentally and animal friendly message. The woodland at Animalia is destroyed by the developers from Megatropolis. Squirrels, Wirral and Wilhamina, join with Froggo the balloonist on an exciting adventure to lead the enslaved city animals to a new life. Suitable for children of all ages, priced at £12.99.
By the way, did anyone see BBC's Real Story last week - The McCartney Vs the Fur Trade. Powerful stuff. Heather Mills-McCartney campaigns against the use of fur as fashion. She particularly focuses on the market of cat and dog fur in China, but also thought to be now in Europe. She warns against buying fake fur garments which could actually be real because there is no legal requirement to label fur garments.
Back to books, the green parent magazine always has a good selection of book reviews including on gardening, waste awareness etc. But beware of creating nightmares of landfill creatures or GM food monsters before bedtime! [Ella]
