Over the next few months, I'm going to be reposting some of my reviews from my old blog. I'm choosing some of my favourite books from the last year, so they're reviews don't get lost in my switch over, and to give them some extra, well deserved promotion! This week's are two picture books which would make brilliant Christmas presents, starting with Dear Earth.
Tessa's Grandpa is an explorer who has been on adventures all over the world. When they go out for walks together, Grandpa tells Tessa all about the amazing things he has seen and it inspires her to write a letter to the Earth. Tessa's wonderful letter details all the things she loves most about the Earth, and the importance of protecting it.
The illustrations in this book are BEAUTIFUL. I wish I could buy prints of some of the pages for my children's bedrooms - especially the vertical underwater page which we could have looked at all day. My five year old is also a big fan of the narwhal page.
Environmental children's books are really popular at the moment, capturing the interest and imagination of a generation of children who are already passionate about the environment and encouraging them to look into how they can help the world. Dear Earth has prompted some brilliant conversations in our house and has helped my children to think about how they can help the environment.
This story will inspire your own children to write a letter to the Earth and think about the aspects of nature they love the most and the ways that they can help save it. There are helpful facts at the back which would work well in a classroom, or at a youth group (I can definitely see myself taking this one into Rainbows).
[first two images produced by Little Tiger, featuring a letter written by my daughter in response to Dear Earth]
Thank you Little Tiger Group for sending me a copy of Dear Earth to review.
Dear Earth is written by Isabel Otter and illustrated by Clara Anganuzzi