Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
Originally published by On Our Minds on April 21, 2020
Versioned for Scholastic Canada
Every year on April 22, we celebrate Earth Day to show support for protecting and preserving our planet. We’re sharing some of our favourite books for young readers that help show just how beautiful Earth is and why it’s so important to keep it safe.
Something is happening to the planet! Pollution is making it hard for plants to grow, for animals to play, and for oceans to stay clean. But what can anyone do about it?
On a yucky, smoggy day, a box of seven special crayons steps up to help! These peppy crayons are on another adventure to bring friendship, teamwork, and thoughtfulness to the world. But this time, it’s the world that needs help.
With their unique personalities, quirky attitudes, and stick-to-itiveness, this rainbow of friends puts their heads and hearts together to find a way to save the earth.
Dude. Ocean is incredible. Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Indian, Southern — it’s all excellent Ocean! Not part of any nation, his waves are for all. And under those waves, man, he holds so many secrets. With characteristic humour and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Ocean in this next “autobiography” in the Our Universe series.
Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by illustrator David Litchfield, this is an equally charming and irresistible companion to Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years; Sun! One in a Billion; Moon! Earth’s Best Friend and Mars! Earthlings Welcome.
For his birthday celebration, Nick has challenged his friends to spend the day without using any single-use plastic. This means they use their own cloth bags for shopping, they say no thanks to plastic straws and, instead of balloons, they decorate with kites and streamers made of natural materials.
The children discover that not using plastic is not that hard. They also learn about what plastic is made of, how much of it surrounds us and how it’s polluting our oceans and affecting the food chain. Most importantly, the five friends learn ways to use less — including just saying NO! The book concludes with fun ideas for readers to do a No-Plastic Challenge of their own!
This friendly introduction to a timely and urgent topic is part of Scot Ritchie’s popular Exploring Our Community series. It will raise awareness of just how much plastic we use every day, and why that matters.
Spare, poetic text and breathtaking pictures invite readers on a stirring journey that gently illuminates the causes of climate change as well as how our individual and collective actions can make the world better.
With calm, truthfulness, and beauty, it demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative that invites readers to find and follow the same characters through their daily lives and ultimately to a climate march on Washington, where their storylines converge. Clear endnotes vetted by a climate expert answer a myriad of questions in simple language, proactive ideas for how even young children can be part of the change.
Meticulously researched and brimming with hope and hands-on solutions that will edify and empower even the youngest readers, To Change a Planet is vital for every child, classroom, and family.
Have you ever thought about everything the ocean does for you? It changes the weather, creates oxygen, provides food, and is a great place to have fun, too! So why is the ocean such a big deal? Because we couldn’t live without it!
This funny and factual picture book from Heart and Brain creator Nick Seluk explains the science behind the ocean: its plant and animal life, its contribution to the world, and what we can do every day to protect it. Humans wouldn’t be able to survive without a healthy ocean. That’s kind of a big deal.
Each spread features bite-sized text and comic-style art with sidebars sprinkled throughout. Anthropomorphized marine animals help readers learn through funny jokes and comic panels. Funny, smart, and accessible, The Ocean Is Kind of a Big Deal is a must-have!
The award-winning Scholastic Canada Biography series highlights the lives of remarkable Canadians whose achievements have inspired and changed the lives of those who followed.
As a young boy, David Suzuki loved spending time in the glorious British Columbia outdoors with his father. The racist policies against Japanese Canadians during World War II put an abrupt end to that when David’s family was sent to a Japanese internment camp in 1942. After the war, the Suzuki family was forced to leave B.C., settling in Ontario. David immersed himself in learning, earning a PhD in zoology, becoming a professor, and eventually taking his love of science education into the public sphere with his shows on CBC radio and television.
His connection to nature, commitment as a scientist, and media presence found David among the first to raise the alarm on how human behaviour is endangering all life on Earth. He has worked tirelessly to bring attention and, more importantly, offer solutions to this critical issue. Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time, and David Suzuki has led the charge in education and activism in Canada for decades.
Written by award-winning author Elizabeth MacLeod, this portrait of David Suzuki couples simple yet compelling writing with comic-flavoured illustrations by Mike Deas that help bring this fascinating story to life!
They’re in the air you breathe. They’re in the food you eat. They’re on your body. Fungi are EVERYWHERE!
From fun facts about fairy circles to the delicious secret behind pizza, this is a witty and kid-friendly introduction to fungi. A great nonfiction pick for curious kids and budding scientists.
Based on the true-life childhood of a supermodel, this moving story recounts a young girl’s dreams to bring clean drinking water to her African village.
With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie’s kingdom is a beautiful land. But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And, try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.
As a child in Burkina Faso, African-born model Georgie Badiel and the other girls in her village had to walk for miles each day to collect water. This vibrant, engaging picture book sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.
Do you remember to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth? How about using both sides of the paper when writing and drawing?
Bold, child-friendly illustrations and die-cut pages will draw even the youngest listeners to this gentle reminder of the easy, everyday ways we can be kinder to the earth.
Season after season, the earth has so many special gifts to offer us. But we have to take care of her too! From leaves falling and becoming fertilizer to raindrops bringing plants to life in the spring, the cycle of every season has something to enjoy. While delighting in all nature offers, we need to remember to respect and treasure the world around us.
This easy-to-read story follows the change in seasons and illustrates how we can all be stewards of Earth.
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