Books have the power to change us. This Read Across America Day we're celebrating some our education staff's favorite books to get kids reading and excited about the environment around them, including the Chesapeake Bay!
Beddy Bye in the Bay by Pricilla Cummings
Ages 2 and up
The creatures of the Chesapeake Bay come to life in this delightful, informative story about how and where they sleep. Herons, crabs, clams, turtles, and fish each find a different place to rest in the water and along the shore. When it's time for good night, beddy bye in the Bay, Every animal sleeps in a different way. They may not wear pajamas or slippers like you, but they love to be warm, safe, and comfortable, too.
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers
"This we know: All things are connected like the blood that unites us. We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." Chief Seattle's quote speaks clearly of the connections we have with the environment and the need to care for it.
Chadwick the Crab by Priscilla Cummings
Chadwick is a happy Chesapeake Bay blue crab who enjoys a wide circle of friends—quiet Orville Oyster, Matilda (a fussy, near-sighted egret), Toulouse the Canada Goose, Bernie the Sea Gull, and especially Esmerelda, the prettiest girl crab in the entire bay. But Chadwick yearns for adventure and decides that more than anything else he wants to be a star at the aquarium in Baltimore. This is the story of how one little crab realizes a very big dream.
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
Upper Middle School to Adult
This eye-opening book brings to light the changes that can be made to improve our environment... and it isn't what we have been taught.
One Well, The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
All ages
How we treat the water in the well will affect every species on the planet, now and for years to come. One Well shows how every one of us has the power to conserve and protect our global well.
Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
Age 10 and up
Living near the water on Maryland's Eastern Shore, thirteen-year-old Brady and his best friends, J.T. and Digger, become entangled in a tragedy that tests their friendship and their ideas about right and wrong.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Ages 5 and up
Long before "going green" was mainstream, Dr. Seuss's Lorax spoke for the trees and warned of the dangers of disrespecting the environment. This classic tale has educated a new generation of young readers not only about the importance of seeing the beauty in the world around us, but also about our responsibility to protect it.
(Psssst… Marylanders, you can speak for the trees just like the Lorax! Ask your legislators to support three bills before the Maryland House and Senate!)
Your Water Footprint – The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use to Make Everyday Products by Stephen Leahy
All ages
Your Water Footprint, has 125 facts that show the true cost of our lifestyle and what it is doing to the Earth. Consumers of all ages will be stunned by what it reveals. It is an excellent reference and an exciting way to introduce the resource-consumption equation to students, teachers and administrators.
Have a book you'd add to the list? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter, or join our educators this Summer to tell them yourself!
