BOOK MARKED
Inspiring Earth Day
Books for Kids
Spring is in the air and the natural world is waking
up from winter. With Earth Day just around the
corner, this is the perfect time to share a book
about nature with your child. Celebrate the return
of the flowers and warm weather while teaching
your child about the importance of taking care of
the marvelous planet we call home.

JULIA PFLAGER, INTERIM READING PROGRAMS
COORDINATOR, DC PUBLIC LIBRARY
PICTURE BOOKS
the first woman to graduate from the
University of California with a degree in sci-
ence. After moving to San Diego, she single-
By Zoe Tucker
Illustrated by Zoe Persico
handedly started the movement to turn the
In this allegorical story about Greta Thunberg, dry, desert town into the lush, leafy city it
the Swedish teenager leading a global move- is today.

ment to raise awareness about the world’s cli-
mate crisis, giants are destroying the forest to EARLY READERS
build cities. To save the animals who call the ‘Dragons and Marshmallows’
forest home, Greta must come up with a plan. (Zoey and Sassafras Series)
‘Greta and the Giants’
‘Thank You, Earth’
By April Pulley Sayre
A love letter to the Earth, this book of stun-
ning photos and poetic text introduces con-
cepts of science, nature and language arts
while exploring the beauty and complexity of
the world around us through images of ani-
mals, oceans, moutains and more.

‘Lola Plants a Garden’
By Anna McQuinn
Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Book-loving Lola is inspired by a collection of
garden poems that she reads with her mommy
to grow her own. While Lola waits for her gar-
den to grow, her mother helps her create a
flower book as an activity. The acrylic illustra-
tions show Lola’s garden in all its stages.

‘The Tree Lady’
By H. Joseph Hopkins
Illustrated by Jill McElmurry
By Asia Citro
Illustrated by Marion Lindsay
Zoey, a resourceful, budding scientist, learns
that her mother has been secretly reha-
bilitating magical animals from the forest
nearby. While her mom is away, a sick baby
dragon shows up needing help, so Zoey uses
research, past experience and the scientific
method to learn how to care for it
‘Springtime Blossoms’
(Bradford Street Buddies)
By Jerdine Nolen
Illustrated by Michelle Henninger
Best friends Jada, Jamal, Carlita and Josh
are all searching for signs of spring. But the
most surprising sign of spring awaits them
at school the next day—a surprise that blos-
soms into a colorful plan to beautify the
schoolyard just in time for Earth Day.

‘10 Things You Can Do to Reduce
Reuse and Recycle’
An inspiring biography about Kate Session, By Elizabeth Weitzman
44 Washington FAMILY APRIL 2020



Happy
BOOK Birthday,
MARKED Beverly Cleary!
Young readers discover how they can
do their part to help the environment
by recycling bottles and cans or bring-
ing reusable bags to the grocery store.

“Make a Difference” is a super fun sci-
ence series focused on how ordinary kids
can have a positive impact on the world
around them.

MIDDLE GRADE
‘Survivor Girl’
By Erin Teagan
When a wildfire strikes on the set of her
dad’s reality show, “Survivor Guy,” the
cast and crew is rescued—but Ali and two
other kids get left behind. In this funny,
action-packed middle grade novel that
incorporates STEM themes, Ali will need
to muster the self-confidence to help get
the three of them to safety.

‘Primates: The Fearless Science
of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey
and Birute Galdikas’
By Jim Ottaviani
Illustrated by Maris Wicks
This nonfiction graphic novel explores
the field of primatology and the
groundbreaking work of three of the
most successful women primatologists
of the 20th century.

‘Chomp’ By Carl Hiaasen
Wahoo Cray’s dad is a professional ani-
mal wranger on a reality TV show. When
its boneheaded star gets bitten by a bat
and goes missing in a storm—and then
the search parties get lost, too—Wahoo
must use his knowledge of animals and
science to navigates the Everglades with
a new friend.

YOUNG ADULT
‘The Story of Owen: Dragon
Slayer of Trondheim’
Each month we celebrate a
birthday of literary significance.

Beverly Cleary was born
on April 12, 1916, which
means she is celebrating
her 104th birthday this
year! Cleary began
her journey in Yamhill,
Oregon, a town so small
that it did not have a library.

Cleary’s mother had books shipped in
through the state library system, and Cleary
fell in love with stories. But when she moved
to Portland and began elementary school,
she struggled to read. When Cleary finally
mastered the skill, she could always be
found at the public library.

Cleary graduated from the University of
California at Berkeley and continued her
education at the School of Librarianship
in Seattle. She became a children’s
librarian in Washington, where she married
her husband, Clarence.

Together, they moved back to California
and became the parents of twins, Malcolm
and Marianne.

Cleary wrote her first book, “Henry
Huggins,” in 1950. Since then, more than
91 million copies of her books have been
sold worldwide.

Her most popular series is “Ramona
Quimby,” which follows the life of a
kindergartner and her big sister, Beezus.

Cleary has earned many awards for her
work, including the 2003 National Medal
of Arts, the 1984 John Newbery Medal for
“Dear Mr. Henshaw” and two Newbery
Medals for her Ramona Quimby books.

Cleary’s beloved stories even earned
her the title of “Living Legend” by the
Library of Congress. Since Cleary’s 100th
birthday in 2016, April 12 is now celebrated
worldwide as D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything
and Read) Day. ■
–ADORA BROWN
By E.K. Johnston
Set in a present-day parallel universe
where industrialization has created a
problem with dragons (they love fos-
sil fuels), a 16-year-old boy who is hope-
less at algebra and last in a long line of
legendary dragon slayers must suddenly
save the town of Trondheim. ■
WashingtonFAMILY.com 45