In Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel (illustrated by Alexandra Colombo; IDW Publishing, 2008), the goofy illustrations and the rhyming text make for an amusing read aloud. The picture book gives the reader helpful information on how to recycle when a superhero (the titular “Michael Recycle”) comes to town to help the town learn what it

Read Post

The nonfiction picture book The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle by Nuria Roca (Sourcebooks, 2007), offers a refreshing perspective on the environmental subject through a first person plural and a second person narration (“we” and “you”), allowing us to delve into the concept of these three terms and comprehend the issue of excessive waste. This

Read Post

With a collage bunny illustration style, Recycle Every Day by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (Two Lions, 2003) shows how bunnies Minna and Pip learn about recycling and making earth-conscious decisions. This includes donating old clothing, starting compost collection, using reusable bags, and choosing recyclable materials, as well as traditional recycling ideas. The story frame of Minna

Read Post

Nature Recycles, How about You? by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Cathy Morrison (Arbordale, 2013), is a realistically illustrated picture book that brings awareness to how plants and animals reuse things in nature to survive. This includes a wide variety of examples, including a hermit using old shells and nature recycling water through the water cycle.

Read Post

The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella and illustrated by Simone Shin (Kids Can Press, March 2015) tells the story of a red bicycle, from the day Leo earns the money to buy it until the day it is taken apart and shipped to Africa, where it changes the life of a poor child. Big Red

Read Post

I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn and illustrated by Julia Denos (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2011) emphasizes childhood creativity and recycling when clothes stop fitting. When the narrator’s dress stops fitting, her creative mother adapts it into a ruffly shirt. As that item of clothing becomes too worn or too small, the

Read Post