Reading the Environment

Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species—man—acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.

There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond to the mysterious forces that create the tide.”

With these words Rachel Carson initiated a tide change of her own. Silent Spring, published in 1962, sparked the environmental movement by alerting Americans to ecological dangers associated with widespread application of unexamined pesticides such as DDT. A wealth of environmental literature, fiction and non-fiction, is available for readers of all ages. Why not celebrate Environmental Education Week or Earth Day with a book?

Beginning Reader Recommendations

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss’ Lorax speaks for the trees in a story that warns children of the ecological dangers of smogulous smog and teaches the hope that comes with planting seeds.

A Day in the Salt March, by Kevin Kurtz, illustrations by Consie Powell

This book describes with rhyming verse and bright illustrations all of the bustling activity that takes place in a marsh in one day.

Animal Poems of the Iguazu, by Francisco X. Alarcon, illustrations by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Children can use this book’s colorful illustrations and poems describing creatures found in the Iguazu National Park to appreciate the differences between wildlife in the Bay watershed and around the globe.

Advanced Reader Recommendations

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau describes a two year period he spent living on Walden Pond. This book outlines the author’s thoughts on an individual’s independence and society’s interactions with the natural world.

A Sand County Almanac, by Leopold Aldo

This collection of essays by Wisconsin ecologist Leopold Aldo offer ideas on environmental ethics and dilemmas surrounding the real world application of conservation practices.

Ishmael: An Adventure of Mind and Spirit, by Daniel Quinn

This novel, which earned the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award, is a classic story of man and telepathic ape. The author explores philosophies behind sustainable living and leaves readers to answer the question “With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?”

For additional resources please visit the Environmental Literacy Council, or your local library.