Welcome to a collection of books on sustainable living, a concept that relates to personal choices and environmental stewardship. Voluntary simplicity, sustainable practices, sense of place, and lifestyle choices are essential topics for all of us to understand. They relate to quality of life, social justice and environmental health for us today and for future generations. Vermont Earth Institute assembled this children¹s literature collection to assist elementary school faculty in teaching these somewhat intangible topics.

These books can be used to launch discussions, projects, and reflections on how we are interdependent with everything in our world. Most of the books have simple text. The targeted age/grade group is based on the concepts the books introduce, not the language itself. Four main topic categories are addressed:

Sustainable Practices
Wants vs. Needs
Community/Citizenship
History of Issues/Basic Ecology

Each book has a notation of categories covered, approximate grade levels, a brief synopsis and suggested applications.

Enjoy this collection. We hope you return to these books over and over again with your students, your families, and on your own. Please contact us with your suggestions for additional books and your literature-based projects.

VEI will share this collection with public school librarians and teachers. We will partner to develop curriculum on sustainable living using this collection.

Barbara Duncan, Executive Director, Vermont Earth Institute
Kimberly Bylancik, Vermont Earth Institute Intern

All the Places to Love

Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrator: Mike Wimmer
Harper Collins Publishers, New York 1994
Pp: 32
Grades: K-3

Topics: sense of place, simplicity

Plot: A grandmother picks up her newborn grandson and points toward the open window, beginning his journey of exploring his home. As he grows, his family shares with him all of their special places: the river, the woods, the fields; and the young boy finds his own special place to which he becomes attached. With the birth of his sister, he vows that no matter where he ends up as an adult, he will share with her all these wonderful places that make up their home.

Application: This story makes the reader think about places that they are connected to and why. Students can use this book to find and recognize specific places in their own community to which they are most attached. Journaling exercises and scientific studies could possibly be used to form an even greater connection to these individual areas.

As Long as There Are Mountains

Author: Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Cobblehill Books, New York, 1997
Pp. 139
Grades: 3-6
Topics: sense of place, simple living

Plot: It's 1956 and thirteen-year-old Iris loves living on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. A chain of events that summer threaten the loss of the family farm and the place and lifestyle that Iris holds dear.

Application: This chapter book offers both a glimpse of rural Vermont and a means for today's children to consider their place and why they hold it dear.

The Big Book For Our Planet

Editors: Ann Durell, Jean Craighead George, Katherine Paterson
Dutton Children's Books, New York 1993
Pp: 136
Grades: 4-5

Topics: sense of place, ecology, land-water-energy use, celebrating nature

Plot: This collection of stories, poems, pictures, and illustrations is aimed at celebrating the Earth and the connections we share. Some selections deal with problems such as overpopulation, pollution, and overall human impact, while others highlight how we can feel more connected through observing and learning about the role everything on the planet holds. A diversity of styles and emotions, facts and fiction are used to convey these important topics.

Application: This book can be used as a collection or works can be used individually to address different topics. It is also a wonderful template on which students can explore their own connections to the Earth through their writing and artwork.

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV

Author/Illustrator: Stan and Jan Berenstain
Random House, New York 1984
Pp: 29
Grades: K-3

Topics: TV use, family, playing

Plot: In classic Berenstain style, Mama bear decides that the family spends too much time watching television. She declares a "no TV week," and forces her family to find other means of entertainment. The children rediscover hobbies, lively family conversation around the dinner table re-ignites, and they even spend the evening watching the starry sky. In the end, they all independently choose fun activities other than TV watching.

Application: The Berenstains model many typical American families, and this book can be used to compare the bears' lifestyle to how students choose to spend their own spare time. Activities around discovering/naming hobbies and interests and encouraging family dialog can be modeled after the Berenstains' actions.

Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share

Author/Illustrator: Molly Bang
The Blue Sky Press, New York 1997
Pp: 33
Grades: 4-5

Topics: the commons, land use, water use, air use, consumption

Plot: This non-fiction book uses simple language to explain the meaning of "the commons" and how we all share common resources. The author introduces the issue of how our present day consumptive practices may be good for the present day society, but questions how it will affect future generations.

Application: This book, although illustrated and written simply, targets an older audience as it asks the reader to think about our society¹s consumptive practices. It can be used to initiate research into land use practices, and as a springboard for student debates over these difficult topics.

Everybody's Somebody's Lunch

Author: Cherie Mason
Illustrator: Gustav Moore
Tilbury House, Gardiner, ME
Pp: 40
Grades: 3-5

Topics: predator/prey, food chain, interconnections of all things

Plot: A young girl awakens one morning to find that a wild creature had killed and eaten her cat. Through explanations by her father, schoolteacher, and her own observations, the girl learns that everything is a part of the food web, including herself. Most importantly, she comes to understand that there are no ³good² or ³bad² creatures on the Earth, but simply that they all play different roles.

Application: This book can be used to teach students the important niches of all creatures, increasing their understanding that all living things around us, even black flies and skunks, play necessary roles in our lives. Projects could include having student teams investigate the ecological role of one plant or animal in their neighborhood and then determine how it relates to other teams¹ findings.

The Fisherman and His Wife

Author: Brothers Grimm
Illustrations: Margot Zemach
Farrar Straus Giroux, New York 1980
Pp. 32
Grades 2-4

Topics: simplicity, wants and needs

Plot: A fisherman catches a flounder who happens to be an enchanted prince. The fisherman¹s wife insists that the fish will grant her wishes and asks her husband to request a cottage to replace their pigsty of a home. The wife wishes for grander and grander domiciles.

Application: This is one of many fairy tales with a moral that happiness doesn¹t come from having more ³stuff.² The drawings are wonderful. The story easily leads to discussions about ³what is enough² and our human desires for happiness through material goods.

The Gardener

Author: Sarah Stewart
Illustrations: David Small
Farrar Straus Giroux, New York 1997
Pp: 32
Grades: 2-5

Topics: family, community, gardening

Plot: A series of letters from a young girl are used to follow how her talent for gardening brings happiness to a community and her seemingly grumpy uncle. The story follows the main character as she is sent to live with her uncle and discovers that it is her hard work and caring nature that ultimately bring her and her uncle together.

Application: This warm story is a perfect example of how caring and acts of kindness rather than monetary wealth create happiness in people¹s lives. It can be used to challenge students into thinking how they can bring happiness to the people in their daily lives, and how they are appreciated in return

Celebrate Nature

Author/Illustrator: Diane Iverson
Dawn Publication, CA 1993
Pp: 27
Grades: K-2

Topics: playing outdoors, observing nature, Earth appreciation

Plot: Using simple words and realistic illustrations, we follow three children playing in different ecosystems. By simply enjoying the plants and wildlife, the author uses the final pages to convey the importance of giving thanks and giving back to the natural world.

Application: This book¹s topic and language is targeted for very young readers, and can be used as a springboard for adventures in the natural world and for simply observing and playing outside. It can also be used to encourage projects or traditions to remind kids to give thanks to the Earth and appreciate what it provides.

If The World Were a Village: A Book About the World's People

Author: David J. Smith
Illustrator: Shelagh Armstrong
Kids Can Press, Tonawanda, NY 2002
Pp: 32
Grades: 3-5

Topics: population, resource use, diversity, wealth disbursement, future possibilities

Plot: Looking at the Earth¹s human population as a small village of 100 people, the author breaks down important topics of resource use and human impact. By calculating a global village that represents the 6 billion people alive today, the book discusses specific facts about how many people speak each language, are literate, use varying amounts of energy, and produce certain percentages of waste. The end of the book looks at future projections of human lifestyles based on today¹s practices.

Applications: This book opens the door to investigating how people of different cultures around the world live, by both necessity and free choice. Students can research specific cultures and countries, or proceed with their own in depth comparative analysis of people around the globe. The book offers students the opportunity to compare their lifestyles with the rest of the world.

In the Heart of the Village: The World of the Indian Banyan Tree

Author/Illustrator: Barbara Bush
Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, CA 1996
Pp: 28
Grades: K-5

Topics: sense of place, community, communication

Plot: In a small village, a single Banyan tree grows and becomes the focal point of all activities. People gather under the tree to play, rest, hold meetings, trade goods, and simply spend time with one another. By having one place in the village where people return to every day, a strong community is formed.

Application: This book serves as an excellent example of how common areas or gathering spots help encourage the formation of strong communities. Using the Banyan tree as a model, students can look at their own cities and towns to determine if there is a similar spot that has come to serve as a focal point for residents. Activities can be created around investigating and describing these types of places, or conceptualizing effective meeting spots for their home towns if they do not already exist. This book provides an interesting contrast to Seed Folks, another book in this collection.

In My Neighborhood: Garbage Collectors

Author: Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrator: Kim LaFave
Kids Can Press, Buffalo NY 1998
Pp: 29
Grades: 1-3

Topics: solid waste, recycling, community

Plot: The path of garbage is followed from curbside to garbage truck, transfer station, and eventually a landfill. Two friendly neighborhood garbage collectors are used to tell this story of solid waste. Facts about waste and the benefits of recycling are intertwined throughout the book.

Application: This book takes a simple approach to teach about waste disposal in different types of communities and what families can do to reduce their own waste. Suggestions can easily be implemented in the classroom, and the story can be used for a more in-depth look at why it¹s important to decrease our solid waste.

Island Boy

Author/Illustrator: Barbara Cooney
Viking Penguin, New York 1988
Pp: 28
Grades: 2-5

Topics: lifestyle choices, community, sense of place

Plot: A large family builds their home on an uninhabited island off the New England coast. Over the years all the children learn what it takes to be self-sufficient and live on the island. After traveling the world, the youngest decides that the island is ³home,² and he lives the rest of his life working hard, living without extravagances, passing on his knowledge to his grandson, and touching the lives of all those in the community.

Application: Discussions and projects based on this book could prompt students to look at ³what is home² for them and what truly makes them happy. With a strong sense of family and community brimming from the pages, it is an excellent story to question why a person would choose to live as the main character did on his little island.

Jaguarundi

Author: Virginia Hamilton
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Scholastic, New York 1994
Pg: 32
Grades: 3-5

Topics: land use, loss of habitat, forced migration

Plot: When humans begin to encroach on the animals¹ habitats, each creature has to decide whether they can adapt to the changing surroundings or if they must flee to find a new suitable home. Told from the animals¹ perspective, the story ends leaving readers to question what will happen to animals when they are displaced.

Application: This story can be used to help students look at land use issues from a non-human perspective. It is a great starting point to teach about what all creatures need to survive, and what types of chain reactions occur when the availability of those needs is disrupted. To extrapolate further, discussions/projects could center on looking at the needs of both humans and non-humans, and what people can do to achieve the balance necessary for both to live harmoniously.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Author/Illustrator: Simms Taback
Viking Penguin Books, New York 1999
Pp: 32
Grades: K-5

Topics: recycling/reuse, consumption

Plot: This Caldecott Medal winner depicts a man who makes something new out of his old, worn out overcoat. Each time that his new creation begins to fray, he thinks of another use and is delighted to put it to use. At the very end, when nothing physical can be salvaged from his original overcoat, he makes a book to tell his story.

Application: This story is an excellent example of an alternative to our ³throw away society² practices. The main character¹s actions can be used to spur students¹ imaginations of how they themselves can re-use the things they normally would throw away.

Just a Dream

Author/Illustrator: Chris VanAllsburg
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston 1991
Pp: 45
Grades: 3-5

Topics: consumerism and affects, land use, recycling

Plot: A young boy is too busy to put trash in the proper receptacles or sort recycling, especially with his birthday right around the corner. He falls asleep dreaming of the future, where new technology will free up his time to play with more toys. His dreams, however, take him on a journey to a future which shows the consequences of consumer choices. The last dream leaves him with an alternative, and he awakens with a new sense of priorities.

Application: Every child loves dreaming about the future, and this story can spur students¹ imaginations to develop their own concept of what the future might hold. Each dream segment the main character has, depicts an outcome of human actions, such as traffic jams and the Grand Canyon hidden by smog. Activities could be based around investigating positive and negative consequences of human choices.

Letting Swift River Go

Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Barbara Cooney
Little Brown and Company, USA 1992
Pp: 29
Grades: 3-5

Topics: land use, development, sense of place

Plot: With beautiful illustrations, a young girl watches her New England town disappear when a vote decides that Swift River should be damned to make a reservoir to quench Boston¹s ³mighty long thirst.² The story is based on the true-life event of the Quabbin Reservoir¹s creation, and ends with the main character rowing across the reservoir¹s beautiful water.

Application: This story can be used to introduce the topic of water use and the history of damning rivers in the US. A highlight is that it does not have a definitive ending; therefore, the reader is left along with the main character to contemplate the positive and negative aspects of land/water use.

The Lorax

Author/Illustrator: Theodor Seuss Geisel
Random House, NY 1971
Pp: 61
Grades: 2-5

Topics: consumerism, pollution, land use

Plot: This classic Dr. Seuss book follows the demise of an ecosystem as a forest is clear-cut and factories built to produce an unnecessary product. The Lorax appears and confronts the greedy ³Onceler² about how his actions are driving off all the animals that depend on clean air, water, and land in order to survive. The story ends with a hopeful twist, calling on the reader to take actions for the environment¹s future.

Application: This can be used on a variety of levels, from discussing needs vs. wants to sustainable logging techniques. Also, by analyzing both the actions of the Onceler and the Lorax, students can gain a better perspective into different ³sides² of environmental issues and appropriate ways to take action.

One Good Apple: Growing Our Food for the Sake of the Earth

Author/Photographer: Catherine Paladino
Houghton Mifflin Co., NY 1999
Pp: 48
Grades: 3-5

Topics: agriculture, traditional vs. organic farming, pesticide effects, human health

Plot: This book explains the history of western agriculture and the effects it has had on human and planetary health. The author addresses choices that food producers and consumers face when debating the benefits of organic farming methods. The book leaves the reader with a positive outlook, giving positive information about the success and availability of organically grown food.

Applications: ³You are what you eat² is a common phrase that all children know, and this book can be used to help explain what the phrase truly means. By taking a topic that is directly applicable to all in their daily lives, students could trace the path of the foods they eat and determine the impact different agricultural methods have on the environment and their own bodies.

The Paper Bag Prince

Author/Illustrator: Colin Thompson
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York 1992
Pp: 30
Grades: 3-5

Topics: waste disposal, recycling, sense of place, land use

Plot: A local man is followed into the local dump as he cares for the animals and collects treasures amongst the mounds of trash. We eventually learn that the landfill was once his home, and after many years the dump is closed and he is allowed to return. With amazing illustrations, the story ends with nature slowly reclaiming the littered ecosystems.

Application: Having such a strong sense of place, the main character can be used to teach about how people truly become connected with the land. This story can also be used to introduce land use issues, reclamation of seemingly decimated areas, and reuse of goods.

Pass the Energy, Please!

Author: Barbara Shaw McKinley
Illustrator: Chad Wallace
Dawn Publications, Nevada City, CA 1999
Pp: 30
Grades: 2-5

Topics: energy transfer, food chain, interrelationships

Plot: With rhyming verse, the passing of energy is followed through different routes in the food chain. Using animals that are easily recognizable to students of all ages, the reader witnesses plants engaging in photosynthesis- herbivores, carnivores, and all using the sun¹s energy. Emphasis is given to the ³gift² of energy and how all along the chain (including people) are grateful for this gift.

Application: This book is perfect to begin lessons on energy and energy transformations. Lessons can be created around food webs, interrelationships of all living creatures, and the importance of recognizing where our own energy comes from.

A River Ran Wild

Author/Illustrator: Lynne Cherry
Haricot Brace Jovanovich, New York 1992
Pp: 26
Grades: 3-5

Topics: water pollution, Native Americans, community involvement

Plot: This true story depicts the history of the Nashua River floodplain from the time it was first settled by Native Americans to present day. The author depicts the changes in the area and subsequent river¹s pollution as the Native Americans were displaced and the waterway was eventually used for industrial purposes. We then witness how a local resident, Marion Stoddard, organized the Nashua River Cleanup Committee to return the river to a state where people could swim, boat, and see the pebbled bottom.

Application: This book offers an excellent example of how a community can not only clean up a polluted waterway, but also live in harmony with the natural environment. It can be used to help teach about water pollution, activism, community involvement, and the history of local places. In addition, it can be successfully used to look at how Native Americans lived on the land compared to how we choose to live today.

Seed Folks

Author: Paul Fleischman
Illustrations: Judy Pedersen
HarperColliins Publishers, New York. 10022
Pp. 69
Grades: 4-8
Topics: sense of place, community

Plot: The author weaves the stories of thirteen neighbors to tell the story of the flowering of a Cleveland vacant lot into a community garden. The disparate lives and stories tell how people¹s caring for plants carries over to caring for one another and their community.

Application: This sparse tale is appealing in its effective job of character painting. It offers rural youth a compelling glimpse of urban life and how people contribute to each other¹s sense of place.

Shelterwood

Author: Susan Hand Shetterly
Illustrator: Rebecca Haley McCall
Tilbury House, Gardiner ME, 1999
Pp: 40
Grades: 3-5

Topics: forest diversity, sustainable practices, sense of place

Plot: A young girl begins to learn from her grandfather¹s profession of logging. He teaches her that she must first know the forest, and then leave the tallest and strongest trees standing so that they may drop their seeds and pass on their good genes. The girl learns how caring for the forest ensures that it will always continue and will have the ability to provide its resources.

Application: The book can be used to look at how logging is neither good nor bad, but the way in which we harvest trees has a lasting effect on the health of a forest ecosystem. Using forestry as a starting point, projects and discussions can focus on how we choose to use the Earth¹s resources. Students can investigate sustainable practices and begin to determine the least impactful ways of harvesting these resources.

Understood Betsy

Author: Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Illustrated by Martha Alexander
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1917, 1972
Pp. 211
Grades: 3-6

Topics: sense of place, simple living

Plot: Nine year old pampered, city girl Betsy goes to live with Vermont cousins and discovers that she can survive and thrive in the county and with more demands made on her.

Application: This classic leads young readers to imagine rural New England life of nearly one hundred years ago. While the sustainable living connection may be slim, readers can compare children¹s¹ lifestyles then and now, comparing ways they are pampered and self-sufficient.

What a Load of Trash!

Author/Illustrator: Steve Skidmore
The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, CT 1991
Pg: 40
Grades: 3-5

Topics: waste, consumer choices, recycling

Plot: This non-fiction book discusses the different paths our waste stream might take, and the benefits and drawbacks to different types of waste removal. Most importantly, it looks at what trash truly is, and helps the reader discover that most trash isn¹t truly trash; it¹s simply a new product waiting to be created through recycling. Through humor, the author encourages the reader to look closely at what they throw away.

Application: Following a product¹s ³life cycle² is an excellent activity to accompany this book. The author¹s creativity can spur students¹ imaginations of how many things they can re-use and create out of supposed waste. Discussions can compliment the book¹s facts on why recycling and consumer decisions are important.

Window

Author/Illustrator: Jeannie Baker
Greenwillow Books, New York 1991
Pp: 26
Grades: 4-5

Topics: land use, development, sense of place

Plot: Without text, we look through a young boy¹s bedroom window and follow the changes to the landscape as he grows into a man. As an infant, the view out the window is that of wilderness, and we watch a neighborhood and development replace this wilderness until he is left with only a small patch of lawn and a skyline of buildings. The final pages show the main character looking out the window of his new house while holding his own infant child. The view out this window is once again of wilderness, but suggests he is about to witness the cycle of development once again.

Application: Although this book uses incredible collage constructions rather than words to tell this story, it is suitable for older children (and adults). Issues about land use and development can be addressed with this book, along with ideas of why people decide to live in certain types of communities (rural, urban, etc.) Activities spurred by this book could include keeping a journal of changes occurring within students¹ own neighborhoods/communities and their reactions to these changes.