Hi. My name is Robin…and I’m a book-a-holic.

It doesn’t matter, really, what kind of book it is. I more than likely get an e-mail newsletter about it. I love to look through lists, check out what’s new – and I love kids books most of all at my current place in life.

The only problem is that there’s no time. No time to book store hop. No time to browse the stacks. No…time…So, very often all of those cool books floating around in newsletters end up in the circular file.

So, it was only by fluke that I’d just gotten the Simon & Schuster Kids newsletter introducing the new Little Green Books series and then just happened to be at London Drugs where those same Little Green Books happened to be hanging out on the shelf.

If they’d been $10 a piece, or even $7, I’d have thought twice about buying two of them. But, they were $3.99 a piece. So, into the cart they went.

While admittedly I was impressed with the price point, I was sold by the package.

Printed on 100% recyclable paper with a back cover full of Green tidbits, they just made me want to see more and hope that they would offer up kids (these readers are for ages 4-6. But, the Little Green Books series runs the gamut from soft baby books to advanced readers) some fun motivation for thinking about the environment.

The tiny person loved the illustrations and dove into
The Polar Bears’ Home by Lara Bergen, illustrated Vincent Nguyen right away.

The story, about a young Inuit girl who discovers a pair of polar bear cubs stranded by melting ice, leads us all through a learning tale about global warming. The girl is troubled by the changes she sees in the ice fields around her and struggles with the reality that we are endangering these incredible creatures. It does end up a story of hope, with some excellent tips on ways kiddos can help out themselves.

We really dug the polar bear tale. But, then came Max the little Monster and he won over the day with I Can Save The Earth by Alison Inches, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli.

Max is a slob, a waster and a TV junkie…that is until one night when the power goes out and he discovers the amazing world of nature – and that changes everything for him. As he discovers the outdoors, he learns to love and care for it, picking up trash, using less water, not wasting things any more. He even learns how great giving away his toys can be.

He is reformed.

This cute little story is all about learning how to use your super powers for good, and right away the tiny person was thinking a bit more Green – running around turning all of the lights off in the house.

These charming books are a great way to introduce kids to thinking Green, with charming stories that offer lots of room for questions while letting them figure out what is their favourite way to contribute. I’ve only seen them at London Drugs. But, that doesn’t mean they aren’t elsewhere in town.

Order them through your local independent book seller.

Book covers and illustration courtesy of Simon & Schuster Publishing