Earth Day for Kids

Today we're going to take a look at some children's books just right for Earth Day. As we mentioned earlier this week, Earth Day is a global celebration that was the brainchild of Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. A horrific oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. prompted Nelson to initiate this day of appreciation for our natural world. First celebrated on April 22, 1970, more than 20 million people participated.

Today, over 500 million people worldwide honor the day, and Sunday, April 22, 2007 is the official celebration this year. In Southern Indiana, we celebrate a week early at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, primarily because Louisville's earth-hostile Thunder Over Louisville preempts the waterfront on the relevant weekend.



I Love Our Earth is a photo book in rhyme, created by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, with photographs by Dan Lipow. Its sing-song story truly celebrates our Earth with vibrant pictures, many including children at play in nature. It's from Charlesbridge Publishing.



Kathy Ross and Sharon Lane Holm bring us All New Crafts for Earth Day. Using simple materials ready to hand, this book offers easy craft projects for kids at home or in churches, schools, or day care centers.



The Great Trash Bash is a delight. Mayor Hippo is puzzled. He seems to be doing everything right. But something is wrong. He talks to citizens everywhere he goes, and soon he learns that the people of Beaston are their own worst enemies, discarding instead of recycling, littering instead of keeping the city clean, and polluting rather than conserving. He brings the animal residents of the town together to rid the town of trash, making Beaston once again a beautiful place. At the end of the book is a list of ideas for kids to remember to keep their own towns clean. Loreen Leedy is the author.

Join local authors and earthlovers this Saturday at The Falls, all day.

Earth IS in the Balance

We've watched with some envy the dramatic way our neighboring state has committed to the promotion of tourism and economic development. An outstanding way to boost your economy is to draw visitors from outside the state.

But the private sector does a fine job, too. James Bilodeau has compiled a compelling list of free attractions in the Bluegrass State and will be appearing to promote his book, Free Kentucky: Free things to see and do in the Bluegrass State, at Destinations Booksellers this Saturday, April 14, at 11 a.m.

Come by to hear Bilodeau discuss the book and the attractions in Kentucky to get this next spring weekend off to a rousing start. His publisher, Xavier House Publishing, will soon be releasing Free Tennessee and we can only hope they'll consider a Hoosier edition soon.

Then, travel from here to the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville for Southern Indiana's celebration of Earth Day. This celebration of all things healthy for our planet was the brainchild of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. Did you know that our own Carnegie Center's Suellen Wilkinson was a good friend to Sen. Nelson and worked closely with him on Earth Day and other progressive causes?

The celebration at the Falls is a day-long event featuring earth-friendly techniques, products, and ideas you can use. Jamey Aebersold Jazz is subsidizing free admission to the interpretive center and will perform at mid-day. Great food and fun for the kids, too.

For the third straight year, Destinations Booksellers will be participating in the event. This year we've arranged for a corps of local authors to appear to discuss, sign, and sell their books. Please drop by the Destinations tent and show your support for local authors.

In addition, we have a special nature and ecology display set up at the store to commemorate Earth Day.

April is also National Poetry Month and with Easter finery now put away, our prime display is a selection of poetry that most of you have probably never seen.

Have a great week, a great Earth Day, and a great Poetry Month.