Someday, you'll be given the gift of the Earth, and it will be yours to take care of until you pass it along to someone else. So why not start now by reading “A Child's Introduction to The Environment” by Michael Driscoll & Professor Dennis Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton?

Next time you go outside to play or go to school, pay attention to what you see, hear, and smell.  Do you see trees or flowers?  Can you hear birds, or water lapping at sand?  Do you smell fresh air?  All those things are part of the environment, and even though you're a kid, you can help our planet stay healthy.

Did you know that millions of species of plants and animals share the Earth with you?  Some of them live on land, but lots of them live in lakes, rivers, and the ocean.  If we work to recycle, conserve, and keep the Earth's water and land clean, those animals and plants will continue to live.  Until then, scientists say that up to 50 species of plants and animals become extinct every single day.

So you're just a kid.  What can you do? 

There are lots of things!  How much energy does your family use? Think about ways to use less.  When you recycle, do you remember that your outgrown clothes and old toys can also be re-used by someone else?  Riding your bike instead of asking Mom or Dad for a ride can save lots of energy.  You can learn to grow vegetables, even if you only have a small space to plant seeds.  You can get to know the animals and plants that surround your house or apartment.  And you can read this book for lots more information and ways you can help take care of our planet.

Without a doubt, your child was motivated by Earth Day recently and with spring's arrival, it's a good time to keep that conservation momentum going. “A Child's Introduction to The Environment” can help.

Using easy-to-understand language and kid-friendly topics, authors Michael Driscoll & Professor Dennis Driscoll show kids how our environment works in water, on land, and atmospherically.  Because there's so much for a kid to learn, this is a busy book with lots of I-didn't-know-that side bars; fun-to-do experiments; stickers, a poster, and a reusable lunch bag; tips on conserving energy; a useful glossary; and cool illustrations by Meredith Hamilton.

While I think a 7-year-old can probably grasp what's in this book, I think an older (10-to-13-year-old) sibling will get more out of it.  But don't let that stop you. Get “A Child's Introduction to the Environment” and keep it around.  With the ideas in here and spring's arrival, why on Earth would you not?