Earth Day, every day

This Friday April 22 is Earth Day - a day, like every day, when people take time to appreciate and take care of our planet. With the smell of spring rain in the air, tulip and daffodil bulbs sprouting everywhere, and plentiful spring picture books about, how can one not think green?

Margi Preus with illustrator Rebecca Gibbon take a look at some of the more gorgeous and notable green growing things around us: trees! Celebritrees: Historic and Famous Trees describes trees known for their Guinness-Book-of-Records-setting size or age or the legends surrounding them, including Methuselah in California, the oldest known living organism, and the hollow Chapel Oak of France.


For curious preschoolers or elementary nature classes, I rely on A Seed Is Sleepy written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long. This can be read as a story book with such lyrical lines as "a seed is adventurous, it must strike out on its own," but it also contains digestible bits of further information with paintings and diagrams to be examined more closely by an older reader. Aston and Long have also collaborated on An Egg Is Quiet.

Energy Island by Alan Drummond is the true story of Samsø, a small Danish island, whose neighbors worked together to gain "energy independence" - to rely only renewable energy sources from their own island. The picture book style narrative is supplemented with sidebars explaining global warming, renewable and non-renewable energy, and the many ways individuals, and countries as a whole, can work to conserve energy.


Dorling Kindersly, a leader among kids' nonfiction, publishes several gardening books for a range of ages. The latest, How Does My Garden Grow, is full of rich photographs and clear step-by-step instructions for gardeners 7 and up. This book goes beyond the hows and whys of growing, to ideas for personalizing a garden, as with topiary, and ideas for what to do with what is grown, including recipes as delicious sounding as herby cheese muffins (yum!).


In fiction, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has reissued a paperback edition of Chris Van Allsburg's Just a Dream, a cautionary environmental tale. A few nights before his birthday, Walter goes to bed wishing he lived in the future with his own plane to fly and a robot to take out the trash. Instead, his dreams take him to a future full of smokestacks, tree stumps, trash piles, and most horrifying, a hotel on top of Mount Everest. Fortunately, Walter awakes from his dream, and like us all, has the opportunity to prevent this future.

Even non-city dwellers probably can sympathize with Peter from Colin Thompson's The Paradise Garden, overwhelmed as he is by the noise and rush of his neighborhood. He escapes to an expansive, wondrous garden in the city, where he sleeps under the stars and eats from the trees and greenhouses around him. When he finds peace enough to return to his family and the noisy city, he knows he may always have a paradise garden of his own, in his yard and in his mind. The rich paintings have many details to pore over, especially in panels reminiscent of Jan Brett.

Taro Gomi, author of My Friends, Everyone Poops! and several drawing books, is known for his bold, colorful style and fresh approach to storytelling. The plot of his board book, Spring Is Here, follows the earth's transformations through the cycle of seasons, zooming in a white lamb whose fleece slowly turns brown and green like the earth, and then revolves back to winter's white.




In addition to all things green, we also have plenty of Passover, Easter, spring, and hopping bunny books for all your seasonal needs.

Happy Earth Day! An exhaustively epic eco-friendly round-up.

We all know "Earth Day is every day," but it never hurts to be reminded to be gentle with the environment! Here are some great book, toy, and activity choices for everyone in your family, from baby on up.

Infants and Toddlers
We've recently started carrying Peter Rabbit Naturally Better books, and while the whole line is too cute to resist, my favorite is the Peter Rabbit Snuggle flannel book. You're never too old for a soft-as-a-bunny book/blankie made of non-toxic, organic materials, right? While you're in the baby room convincing yourself to stop snuggling Peter Rabbit Snuggle, check out the Peter Rabbit Naturally Better Baby Record Book, Classic Gift Set, and board book series. All are illustrated in a pastel collage style which is fresh and faithful to Potter's original watercolors.

Start environmental education early with a recycled board books that's eco-conscious both in message and medium. Leslie Bockol's One Tree -- part of Innovative Kids' Green Start line -- connects a single tree to a complex web of life, large and small. Check out the publisher's website for more green tips, activities, and games.

Miyim "simply organic" cotton baby toys are adorable and eco-friendly! Their cuddly bears, bunnies, monkeys, hippos, and giraffes are made from incredibly soft, certified organic and non-toxic cotton fabric, dyed with all-natural plant colors, and come in recycled packaging. You'll find plush and blankies in the baby room.


3-5 years
Our monkey friend goes green in Curious George Plants a Tree. After learning about recycling at the science museum, George decides to participate in an upcoming recycling rally. Being George, he gets carried away -- and gets into trouble. Fortunately, his good intentions (and a little help from the man in the yellow hat) smooth things over. Twenty tips for helping the environment are included. Also try The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore).

We have a whole line of Green Toys, who call their dump truck "the most energy-efficient vehicle on this or any other planet." It's made from 100% recycled milk jugs! Primary colors and rounded edges make this truck extremely toddler-friendly as well as earth-friendly. Tugboats for bathtub, pool, or puddle come in three different color combinations. Add on a spout for even more water fun. The 15-piece tool set includes screwdrivers (flat and Phillips), hammer, pliers, wrench, saw, an assortment of nuts, bolts, and nails, and a kid-sized tool box. All Green Toys are made of recycled plastic milk jugs, packaged in minimal recycled/recyclable boxes with soy-ink printing, and conform to a loooong list of toy safety and environmental standards.


6-10 years
A classic games get a makeover with Schylling's Panda's Pick Bamboo Games. The board for this Mancala game is bamboo, which is organic, sustainable, and biodegradable. The set is also light-weight and compact, perfect to take on the go.

The Eco Saucer is green literally and figuratively. This lime green Frisbee is made of recycled milk jugs like its fellow Green Toys brand items, plus it has ideal Frisbee size and weight. No wimpy throws with this one! It also has their doggie mascot Marlow's paw of approval for fetch.

Our staff members have been coveting the reusable drinking bottles by Crocodile Creek. The food-grade stainless steel bottles are decorated all over with the solar system, dinos, trucks, animal tracks, flowers, and lots of other fun options in the distinctive (CG-beloved!) Croc Creek illustration style. At 13 ounces, they're perfect to tuck into a matching Crocodile Creek lunch box! The bottles are fully recyclable, lead-free, phthalate-free, and BPA-free, and ALSO conform to or exceed U.S. and European safety standards. Whew!


10-Pre-teen
Earth Smart Crafts by American Girl teaches eco-savvy tween girls how to refashion disposable items into gifts, jewelry, games, and room accessories -- all while reducing waste. (Pair it with That Girl Lucy Moon, Amy Timberlake's novel about activist Lucy's experience starting junior high. Which will she choose, activism or popularity?) The Cutest Nature Book Ever!, also by American Girl, is packed with nature-themed craft ideas, bird- and cloud-watching logs, and outdoor writing prompts. Both books are inspired by the newest American Girl, local-to-Boston Lanie, whose love of nature and science make her a great green role model.


Teens and Adults
In the environmentalism section upstairs you'll find Young Reader's editions of the best-selling adult nonfiction books The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. The Young Reader's versions are more accessible, yet still packed with pertinent information about the sources of our food and global warming, respectively. (And believe me, you don't have to be a "young reader" to appreciate a somewhat shorter, friendlier adaptation of these books!)

Scientist, nature writer, and activist Rachel Carson published her pollution study/expose Silent Spring in 1962, virtually single-handedly launching the environmental movement. In her book, Carson reveals the devastating effects of pesticides and herbicides on wildlife and on humans. While some of the specific chemicals Carson writes about (like DDT) are now banned, the dangers of pollution are still highly relevant. Carson cites study results projecting that one in every four people will develop cancer in their lifetime; fifty years' worth of carcinogens later, that number is considerably higher. Sadly, Rachel Carson herself died from cancer not long after Silent Spring was published.


This is just a SMALL sampling of the many eco-friendly items we carry -- maybe I should have called it an "exhausting" post rather than an "exhaustive" one! Keep checking back for more.

One more thing: the Cambridge Green Streets Initiative has a Walk/Ride Day on the last Friday of each month. You may notice Walk/Ride Day info at our events, most recently at this weekend's Bookish Ball. Green Streets brought in their "10 in '10" passport, which makes a game of utilizing public transportation, to ride ten different Boston MBTA buses this year. Pick up a passport here, go green (by walking, riding your bike, carpooling, or taking public transportation) as much as you can, and be on the lookout for some Walk/Ride day fun in the near future!

Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores alike will gobble up these veg-approved goodies.

The 14th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival took place this weekend, and I hope you were able to get out in the beautiful weather and eat some yummy animal-friendly food! Many of us CG staffers (myself included) are vegetarian or vegan, so we were there in spirit even if we were here at the store, eating yummy animal-friendly food we brought from home instead.

As a long-time herbivore, I subscribe to the magazine Vegetarian Times. Imagine my delight at seeing George-approved items for veggie and green kids as I browsed the latest issue for vegan holiday recipes. It was like "what Vegetarian Times wants to buy this week"! First up is a Q&A with author Michael Pollan, who's just adapted his best-selling adult nonfiction book The Omnivore's Dilemma into a young reader's edition. (You can find it upstairs on the features table!) Several of us read the "grown-up" Omnivore's Dilemma for our book club, and while it was enlightening, I definitely would have preferred to read this more accessible version: all the same info, but made more digestible (har-har).

VT also featured a few of our green faves in their "Kid Stuff" holiday recommendations. Crocodile Creek's Moo Cow 7-inch ball -- like all their playground balls -- is already a hot seller around here! Trend-spotter Rachel long ago called the coolness of their other pick, the Green Toys Recycling Truck. Rach says, "Not only is this awesome green truck an excellent, sturdy toy, but it's also made entirely of recycled plastic! It has different compartments for bottles, cans and paper, catering to all the recycling needs of your toy room (or driveway, or sandbox). It's always a bonus when buying a really fun toy truck actually benefits the environment!" (Pssst... I think the Recycled News Colored Pencils are an awesome choice for the older kid in your life. I sense an impending "green gift" round-up!)

A dear friend who's a fellow children's bookseller, vegetarian, and book club member (hi Ari!) recently sent me a signed copy of Jonathan Safran Foer's new nonfiction book Eating Animals. We don't carry it at Curious George (....yet...), and I haven't even read it all the way through yet, but I am recommending it to vegetarian parents ANYWAY. Foer struggles with two of the herbivore's biggest dilemmas: eating local vs. eating veggie, and whether to raise kids vegetarian. This promises to be a compelling nonfiction read with the emotional complexity of his novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud.

Those parents who do have vegetarian kiddos should check out That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things by Ruby Roth. While upholding every family's right to make their own choices, this gently illustrated and compassionately written picture book explains the many ethical, environmental, and health reasons some families don't eat meat. That's Why We Don't Eat Animals not only inspires readers to consider living in a more animal-conscious way, but also empowers them with concrete examples of how to do so.

It's almost time to put up our "Happy Thanksgiving -- Save a Turkey!" poster. If you are also of the "No Turkey" or "Tofurkey" Day persuasion, make sure to pick up one of our vegetarian kids' cookbooks! Judi Gillies and Jennifer Glossop's Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook is a no-fuss multicultural veggie cookbook for the middle grade set. This book offers oodles of vegetarian and vegan dishes from around the world, appropriate for any occasion from breakfast to midnight snack. A handy key indicates each recipe's difficulty and time investment -- always a consideration! -- and whether it is suitable for vegans. They've also provided lots of information on nutritional needs for vegetarian kids, and give all measurements in metric as well as the more familiar (to us Americans) cup-and-teaspoon system.

Salad People, Pretend Salad, and Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen are three great vegetarian cookbooks for "preschoolers and up." You may recognize Katzen's name from the beloved Moosewood Restaurant, her adult vegetarian cookbooks, and Moosewood's frozen vegetarian foods (yum!). These adorable books are also ingenious: kid-friendly language and sequential panels clearly illustrate the steps for young chefs. Each recipe is a carefully planned balance of nutrition, education, creativity, and fun. Every "cartoon" diagram ends with the directive "EAT!" or "DRINK!" -- which really is the point of the whole cooking exercise, and one adults often seem to miss. Honest Pretzels just came out in paperback, which makes it even more kid-accessible and kitchen-sensible.

Once you've discovered your new favorite vegetarian recipe, let us know... We need goodies to keep us in prime condition for the upcoming holiday season! (P.S. I will personally taste-test any vegan fudge recipes you may be worried are not up to snuff for Christmas cookie platters.)

The Best of...The Baby Room

While we await shipments to replace some of our holiday sales (poor Hello Kitty, there is nothing left of her in the back room, every single item is out!), the baby room is still going strong! International Playthings (EarlyYears), Melissa & Doug, Rich Frog, and Little Toy Co. are just some of the great brands we carry. Here are some of our top picks for the infant to toddler crowd.

Toys

For the very newest to the world, Angel Dear's animal nap blankets are indubitably the softest, sweetest gift. They come in two sizes, 29 inch square, perfect for cribs or carriages, and a 14 inch square, great for babies to clutch anywhere. The blankets are topped with darling animal heads, from ducks and puppies to giraffes and hippos, with half-moon stitching for closed eyes.

For the baby on the go, Pint Size/Latitude Enfant makes a variety of stroller and play pen toys. Spirale is a brightly colored, smiling caterpillar that can be wound around crib tops or stroller bars, from which hang crinkles, squeakers, and a mirror. You can purchase this from our store's website here.
Manhattan Toy's Baby-ville Activity Cube combines textures and flaps with another baby favorite: other babies! This 5" cube has knotted ribbon, a peek-a-boo flap, and other grabbable, noise-making parts.

Melissa & Doug gives us the best part of doctor offices: the bead maze from the waiting room! The two sizes, table-top and hand-held, are in primary colors, with chunky shape pieces to wind through spirals and dips. A classic! Our First Bead Maze display is constantly in use, with the occasional parent joining in on the fun.

Petite Madeline fans rejoice! Madeline merchandise, which is notoriously difficult to come by, has expanded with Kids Preferred dolls in various sizes. The Dressable Madeline is a soft, baby safe 13 inch doll with red yarn hair, yellow sailor hat, and removable blue uniform coat. She can be purchased here.

Quite a few companies now carry environment-friendly lines. Our favorites include Miyim plush and Tomy's super new Eco Angels. Miyim stuffed animals are made from organic cotton and toxin-free dye and come in various styles, from Sleepytime's rotund, slumpy, huggable bears to the cuddly, be-frocked elephants and monkeys of the Fairytale collection. Eco Angels are made from plant-based plastics and are packaged in recycled paper. The Starbright Light Show, which clips onto the crib or stands on its own, plays three different lullabies and projects soft light with star and moon designs onto the ceiling.

Books

Sandra Boynton has a whole shelf devoted to her adorable, hilarious, and often singable board books. We love her so much here that, sometimes, life seems like one giant Barnyard Dance. You can even enjoy her silliness in animal cloth books. Shaped like animal heads, the mouths open upward revealing simple, funny phrases or a "squeeze me!" button that actually barks, moos, or squeals. The packaging couldn't say it any better: "perfect for the baby, the toddler, and the sensitive high-powered executive."

Don't let the simple premise of a counting book fool you:
Duck and Goose 123, by Tad Hills, is sure to warrant many rereadings. These oil paintings of pondside friends are expressive and sweet, and require more than simply counting items in a row. My favorite spread is "7 berries": Duck, with a simple downward slanting eyebrow, stares down his friends covered in purple splotches, next to a bush with seven berries left on it. Amazing!

Our staffer Miruna is very excited that My Many-Colored Days by Dr. Seuss is now in board book format. With paintings from Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, the art here feels much different from, say, Gerald McBoing McBoing or that Horton we're seeing everywhere, but it definitely has the Seussian appreciation for individuality and light-handed approach to "morals" Dr. Seuss is known for. It's a great and beautiful way to show children that it's OK to have all kinds of moods, and now being in two different formats, can reach an even wider audience.

If you haven't already gotten on board the scanimation train, you are in for a real treat! Rufus Butler Seder, the creator of Gallop!, is back with a second moving image book, Swing!, this time instead of animals, you can see kids bicycling, running, or dribbling a basketball. Kids and adults alike are entranced by this book: some marvel at the deceptively simple design, some just love making the kid run slower, faster, and even backwards. However you look at it, it's an incredible new kind of picture book!


These are just some of the highlights of the baby room, come on in or give us a call to see what else we have for your favorite carpet-crawler!