A teacher helps students read a book during class. Children taking part in APHA’s ECO Bookworms Club read and discuss climate change in a way that is fun and informative. Launched in 2020, the club has continued to expand.
Photo by FatCamera, courtesy iStockphoto
“I’m over the moon that amazing teachers will now have the chance to share the book with all the children in their care.”
— Loll Kirby
Educators across the country have access to a selection of free children’s books on environmental topics, thanks to a new initiative from APHA’s ECO Bookworms Club.
The APHA club is designed to help parents and caregivers — and now teachers — discuss climate change with children in a fun and informative way. The expansion has grown ECO Bookworms from an online book club to a resource that brings environmentalism into curriculums, according to organizers.
“We are excited to build on ECO Bookworm’s successes with this new opportunity,” Evelyn Maldonado, a program associate with APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, told The Nation’s Health. “There is potential to fill a need and have a positive impact on classrooms.”
Due to demand, the free books are also available to librarians. Through a form on APHA’s website, teachers and librarians can request a copy of one of five selected books. The books will be shipped at no cost and come with materials for use in classroom discussions. Book recipients are being asked to create a project based on the themes of the book and share the results with APHA. Requests for books will remain open while supplies last. The center is hoping that the books will help fill gaps in classrooms and libraries.
“We especially hope to reach under-resourced schools that aren’t able to purchase these books on their own,” Maldonado said.
Loll Kirby, author of “Old Enough to Save the Planet,” one of the books that is being offered, said she is enthusiastic about her inclusion in the program.
An elementary school student holds a book in the school’s library. ECO Bookworms Club has highlighted almost two dozen environmentally themed books for children ages 4-8.
Photo by Fstop123, courtesy iStockphoto
“I’m over the moon that amazing teachers will now have the chance to share the book with all the children in their care,” Kirby told The Nation’s Health. “Schools are such special places, and I can’t wait to see how the teachers and children will work together to come up with awesome ideas for how we can all help to tackle climate change and look after our planet.”
Other books offered by ECO Bookworms include “Drought,” by Melissa Stewart; “Solar Story: How One Community Lives Alongside the World’s Biggest Solar Plant,” by Allan Drummond; “Stand Up! Speak Up!: A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution,” by Andrew Joyner; and “Earth Hour: A Lights-Out Event for Our Planet,” by Nanette Heffernan.
Launched in 2020 by APHA’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, the ECO Bookworms Club has highlighted almost two dozen environmentally themed books for children ages 4-8, ranging from ocean pollution and oil spills to rainforests and endangered species.
The monthly selections, which are listed on APHA’s website, come with discussion questions and read-along videos to use in a classroom settings.
“We are proud of the work we have done so far, and we’re excited to begin engaging in real space and seeing how this program plays out in classrooms,” Maldonado said.
For more information on ECO Bookworms, visit bit.ly/ecobookworms.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
