Earth Day and Respect for Our Planet Depicted in Gorgeous Picture Book

We will celebrate Earth Day this year on April 22. Saving our planet is a major topic of interest now with climate change happening. Picture books and stories are always a good way to introduce the topic of saving our beautiful earth to young readers.

Yuval Zommer's beautiful picture book and story The Wild has a message for young readers with a lesson in joining together to save our earth. Wild areas of our planet were at one time lush and green. The wild areas provided homes for all creatures. People could also take what they needed from our wild areas. Then people started to take more than they needed, and the wild places were no longer a good environment for the birds and other creatures. People believed that the resources could never be depleted. Plowing, mining, burning, and dumpling began to deplete earth's resources. A young boy took notice that the wild areas were sick and needed help. He wanted to make a difference to help the wild become healthy again. He spoke out and gathered people together to save the wild areas. Both city people and people in the country joined together to make the changes needed to save the wild.

The illustrations for The Wild are stunningly colorful and engaging. The text is simple for easy reading for young readers. The Wild is recommended for ages 4-10. It was published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin/Random House. It has an ISBN of 978-0-593-70898-9.

Teachers will celebrate Earth Day with their students on April 22. Earth Day is an important time to celebrate our planet and introduce lessons in caring for our earth into the curriculum. Picture books and stories are the perfect way to introduce the subject of caring for our beautiful earth. Teachers will want to add Yuval Zommer's gorgeous picture book and story to their classroom library.

*Read The Wild in a story time session. Call attention to the title of the book. Call attention to the brilliant green of our wild spaces. Trees, bushes, and all kinds of green fauna are part of our wild areas. Call attention to the illustration of the river that runs through the wild areas.

*Call attention to the illustration that features the wild creatures that inhabit our wild areas of the earth. How many creatures can the students find in the illustration?

*Call attention to the illustration that features the ocean with its sea creatures. How many sea creatures can the children find in the illustration?

*Have a globe available for students to be aware of the area of the earth that the oceans cover.

*Call attention to the illustration that features the night creatures in the wild. What creatures can the children find in the illustration?

*Call attention to the illustration that depicts how people use the earth and its resources.

*Call attention to the illustration that depicts the buildings that encroach on wild habitats. What happens to the habitats when there is over-building?

*How did the young boy make a difference for the earth?

*Plan an activity for your students to plant a tree on your school grounds if possible for Earth Day this year.