Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli with illustrations by Caldecott Honor Winner, Kadir Nelson, is about the great Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Muta Maathai, from Kenya. I have written about her on my blog before because this is one woman that I just REALLY admire, and I think her story is important to share with children. She helped Kenyan women and children by suggesting they plant trees and getting back in touch with nature. She educated herself and then went back to her country to show girls that they can too educate themselves and work for the common good. If anyone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, it’s certainly Wangari.
This book is a little different than Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
in that
Mama Miti focuses mostly on how women came from all over Kenya to ask Wangari for help. Her advice was to plant certain types of trees to take care of the problems the women were having. If the woman complained of a lack of food, Wangari told her to plant a tree and gave her seeds. If the woman complained of the cattle being sick, Wangari told her to plant a certain type of tree with leaves that cure disease.
Mama Miti shows how nature can really provide and make a difference, and how strong women can also take care of themselves–especially with a little guidance from someone as knowledgeable and loving as Wangari Maathai.
This book also has wonderful illustrations by Kadir Nelson and resources and author’s notes in the back as well as a glossary of Kikuyu terms, which are used throughout the book.
Why share Mama Miti with your students or children? Use this book to start a discussion about how people can take care of themselves and maybe with a little help–it reminds me of the organization, Heifer International. You can also talk about the importance of planting trees and taking care of nature as well as going green tips. This book can also bring up a history lesson about how much people used to rely on nature, crops, and so on in the past when there weren’t grocery stores to visit or farmers growing food for all of us. You can also use this book to teach about a strong and wonderful woman who can be a role model for young girls all around the world.
photo by timtak www.flickr.com
*Picture book, fiction, for preschoolers through 2nd graders
*Two superhero boys as main characters
*Rating: Boys will L-O-V-E Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug, which teaches the importance of recycling without preaching. Great idea!
Short, short summary:
A clean, little town has a big problem–Litterbug Doug, his rotten trash, and his rat friends. Litterbug Doug doesn’t care about his neighbors or the earth until Michael Recycle shows him the error of his ways. Once Litterbug Doug changes his habits, he becomes the litter police. Told with rhyme and bright illustrations, children will love listening to and looking at
Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug. The end of the book provides “green” tips for kids and facts about trash.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. After reading about Michael Recycle, allow students to create their own “green” superhero. Students should write about the superhero and draw a picture. Children should also make up a new name.
2. In so many classrooms and even at home, we talk a lot about recycling around Earth Day–but we shouldn’t wait until April to talk about this important subject. Children can take the green tips from the back of the book and create posters for the classroom. Then whenever a child or adult “catches someone being green,” shout it out. For example, you could shout out, “I just caught Alissa being green. She remembered to turn off our light switch on our way out of the classroom. Thanks, Alissa!”
3. Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug is a great example of a picture book you can use to teach word choice, one of the six plus one traits of writing. Ellie Bethel’s word choice really sets the scene and shows readers just how gross Litterbug Doug is.
photo by digipam www.flickr.com
On Saturday, I was at a nature writing workshop presented by Jen Cullerton Johnson, who is the author of the upcoming book, Seeds of Change, a picture book about Wangari Maathai. I don’t want to tell you too much about this book because I hope to review it on here soon (which by the way it has received a starred review), but I want to tell you about some of the information that Jen passed out to us.
I didn’t find an official definition of green literacy but basically it is books, poems, magazine articles, and so on about the “green movement” or about helping the environment and so on. Jen calls her list of books that she included in a packet for workshop attendees: “Environmental Books for Kids.” She has listed about 100 books for kids that deal with the environment and going green. From Lynne Cherry’s The Armadillo from Amarillo to Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax to Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns, kids can learn about their environment and how to take care of it. Green literacy can also help answer the question of why it’s important to care about the earth.
For teachers, Jen also had a great idea of including five pages of environmental quotes that teachers could use as writing prompts for several different age levels. Here are a couple of the quotes:
Every day is Earth Day. ~Author Unknown
(This one I have hanging in my office:)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water. ~Benjamin Franklin
So, if you are interested in green literacy whether you are a teacher, parent, or home school parent, then check out Jen Cullerton Johnson’s website or her blog and look for her new book coming out soon from Lee and Low, Seeds of Change. Be creative–find quotes and start discussions or give writing assignments that challenge your students to think green.
