cover image My First Green Book

My First Green Book

Angela Wilkes. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $13 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-679-81780-2

Aimed at a younger audience than most recent guides to becoming a ``green'' consumer, this oversized volume--part of Knopf's My First series--explains environmental concerns clearly without oversimplifying them. In addition to delivering her message succinctly (``The future of Earth is in your hands''), Wilkes provides hands-on activities that demonstrate the importance of pitching in to protect our planet. Similar in format to the publisher's popular Eyewitness series, the book is filled with large-scale, color photos that effectively illustrate such experiments as those that show how clean the air is, how acid rain affects plants, how various objects biodegrade at different rates (if at all) and why rain forests are so crucial to the Earth. Other projects include creating a wildlife garden in a flower box, planting a tree and organizing a ``green campaign'' with one's friends. This practical book teaches critical lessons that even the youngest readers should learn. Ages 7-10. (Oct.)