Group items tagged

Price, Sean. Water Pollution: Saving Our World. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2008. Age Range: 9 and up Publisher's Description: Thousands of animals are dying because of water pollution. Read about all the different things that are polluting the waters-causing terrible pollution disasters-in this amazing book. The powerful images clearly show the causes and effects of water pollution, and the easy-to-read text explains how you can help change things for the better.

Jakubiak, David J. What Can We Do About Oil Spills and Ocean Pollution? New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2012. Age Range: 7 and up Publisher's Description: Frequent photographs in the news of oil-coated wildlife and massive floating trash islands offer an ugly glimpse of the sort of pollution we have unleashed in Earth's oceans. Young readers and budding environmentalists can dig deeper into the topic and explore some of the ways that people can prevent future pollution and clean up the messes humans have made. The included sidebars stimulate further interest in this very serious issue.

de Rothschild, David. Plastiki Across the Pacific on Plastic: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans. New York, NY: Melcher Media, 2011. Age Range: 9 and up Publisher's Description: Explorer, global green leader, and eco-TV host David de Rothschild recounts the extraordinary journey of the Plastiki, an innovative and mostly untested sixty-foot catamaran that floats on 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles. It was a voyage that took de Rothschild and a five-person crew 10,000 miles from the U.S. to Australia, sailing through rarely traveled, dangerous waters, risking their lives to call attention to our fragile oceans. Their exploration included urgent study of ocean pollution, island nations threatened by rising seas, damaged coral reefs, and the acidifying ocean itself and their discoveries are a call to action. Packed with exciting narrative, images, maps, journal entries, plans, and sketches, this is the only firsthand account of what may be the most important adventure of our time.

Goodman, Polly. Coasts: Earth in Danger. London, England: Hodder Wayland, 2001. Age Range: 7 and up Publisher's Description: Most of the Earth's people live near coasts. Many animals and plants also make their homes here. This book tells you how coasts can be damaged or protected. It also helps you to find out how pollution and tourism are changing coastal life.

Cherry, Lynne. A River Ran Wild. San Diego, CA: Voyager Books, 2002. Age Range: 6 - 9 years Publisher's Description: In the 15th century, when native people first settled on the banks of the river now called the Nashua, it was a fertile and beautiful place. By the 1960s, the river valley had been ravaged by many years of serious pollution , and fish, birds, and other animals were no longer seen in the area. Through the efforts of Marion Stoddart and the Nashua River Watershed Association, laws were passed that resulted in the restoration of this river and the protection of all rivers. The author gets high marks for documenting the negative impact of industry on the environment and for highlighting the difference one determined person can make. However, young readers lacking historical background need more facts and dates than are included here. Cherry uses borders on pages that detail, for example, some of the inventions conceived in the 19th century; inexplicably, most are labeled but only some are dated. Her note and the maps on the endpapers, which include a timeline, also help to place the events in context. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are sweeping in their subject matter and adequately convey the physical deterioration of the watershed. However, one picture is misleading; although all the animals depicted live in this habitat, they would not all be seen together. The current concern over the environment will make this a sought-after title, since it is brief enough to read aloud to groups of children. With assistance from informed adult readers, it makes an important contribution to literature on water pollution.

Caduto, Michael J. Riparia's River. Gardiner, ME: Tillbury House Publishers, 2011. Age Range: 8 and up Publisher's Description: Riparia's River is an eco-tale for children that teaches both the cause and the creation of solutions for non-point pollution of flowing water streams and rivers. Filled with lush, sun-splashed watercolor paintings of river and riverside habitat and the birds, insects, and plants that shelter there, Riparia's River is a beautiful teaching fable for children in elementary grades 3-6. A group of friends discovers their favorite swimming spot on the river is polluted, and harmful to the fish and animals that live in it. They are taught by a lady naturalist named Riparia what can be done to clean and repair the riverbanks and restore clean river habitat. The children cooperate and work with a will, inviting others to help when their replanting of riverside plants project grows. Riparia's River is a wonderful, empowering story for children who will inherit tomorrow the rivers, habitat, and creatures of today s ongoing stewardship. A nice community spirit message is embedded in the illustrations use of multiracial profiles for all the children, conveying the added idea that cleaning up our rivers and habitat is a global concern.

Curriculum from UNICEF UK. See photos and case studies on pages 22-33.

Do you know when this was published? Some of the information seems quite dated.

It was published in 2005, so I'm sure much of the content is outdated. I think the photos and case studies at the end may still be useful, though. Those stories highlight the causes of malnutrition (drought, poverty, polluted water, war, etc.) and the impact on children and families. All of that is still timely. So you could potentially adapt the stories to edit out any dated material and to be age-appropriate. Of course we would have to get permission from UNICEF UK, but it's a possibility if these case studies fit well into the unit.

Burns, Loree Griffin. "The Garbage Patch." In Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. Age Range: 10 and up Publisher's Description: Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean.

Allison, Rachel Hope. I'm Not a Plastic Bag. Los Angeles, CA: Archaia Entertainment, 2012. Age Range: 6 and up Publisher's Description: Based on the real-life occurrence of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an island of floating trash in a remote area of the Northern Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas, I'm Not a Plastic Bag tells a moving story about loneliness, beauty, and humankind's connection to our planet. Produced in conjunction with American Forests and the Global ReLeaf programs, Archaia will plant two trees for each tree used in the manufacturing of this book. Presented in partnership with JeffCorwinConnect, a global, ecological, educational and entertainment multimedia company launched by Jeff Corwin, the popular wildlife expert and nature conservationist.

School of Fish is an interactive and exciting adventure into the awesome underworld of the sea and sea-life...from learning to protecting and even eating!

Vogel, Carole Garbuny. Human Impact: The Restless Sea. New York, New York: Franklin Watts, 2003. Age Range: 11 and up Publisher's Description: Learn how overpopulation, coastal development, and global warming have affected our oceans. Trace the imprint humans have made on the oceans' bounties - the dead zones, sick seas, and other symptoms of their failing health - and what this means to the future of life on Earth.

Wiesner, David. Flotsam. New York, NY: Clarion Books, 2006. Age Range: 4 - 8 years Publisher's Description: A bright, science-minded boy goes to the beach equipped to collect and examine flotsam - anything floating that has been washed ashore. Bottles, lost toys, small objects of every description are among his usual finds. But there's no way he could have prepared for one particular discovery: a barnacle-encrusted underwater camera, with its own secrets to share ...and to keep.

Inches, Alison. I Can Save the Ocean!: The Little Green Monster Cleans Up the Beach. New York, NY: Little Simon, 2010. Age Range: 4 and up Publisher's Description: Max the Little Green Monster loves the beach, but after a picnic on the shore, he leaves behind a big mess to go scuba diving. Max meets lots of new ocean-swimming friends and, along the way, learns how his littering may have harmed the beautiful ocean. He goes on a quest to clean and protect the beach, and finds out what it means to be environmentally green. Printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper, I Can Save the Ocean! includes tips for kids on what they can do to lead greener lives.

Harper, Joel. All the Way to the Ocean. Claremont, CA: Freedom Three Publishing, 2006. Age Range: 9 and up Publisher's Description: An uplifting story about two best friends, Isaac and James, and their discovery of the cause and effect relationship between our cities' storm drains and the world's oceans, lakes and rivers. It is sure to inspire both young and adult readers alike and teach a timeless life lesson--If we all do our part, a cleaner, safer environment is indeed within our reach.

Rand, Gloria. Prince William. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company Inc., 1992.

Age Range: 6 - 8 years

Publisher's Description: The story of the clean-up of Prince William Sound after the oil spill. "This straightforward story stresses the importance of community involvement as volunteers work together to repair the damage done. . . . Vibrant watercolors capture both the horror of the pudding-like oil and the beauty of the unscathed northern landscape".

Roca, Nuria. The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, 2007. Age Range: 3 - 6 years Publisher's Description: The three R's teaches us many things we can do to reduce pollution. When we Reduce the number of different things we throw away--such as plastic bags--we help to keep the land where we live clean and the water that we drink fresh. It is also a good idea to Reuse; for example, by finding new uses for hand-me-downs that we might otherwise be tempted to throw away. And we can Recycle things like paper, cans, and bottles by placing them in collection areas where they can be picked up and made into new and useful things. Remembering these three R words is a good way for us to help make our planet a good place to live.