Today’s post is by Becca Hampton, our Publicist and Social Media Coordinator.
Calling all eco-heroes! April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. While this Earth Day falls in the middle of a global pandemic and we are socially distanced, we can use the power of digital media to unify our voices and spread one message: we are committed to climate action. Share the call with your young readers with some great books that explain why we need to act. Here are some picture books for all ages that guide how we can all take climate action now.
From What on Earth Books come two environmentally conscious titles. Planet SOS: 22 Modern Monsters Threatening Our Environment (and What You Can Do to Defeat Them!) is a beautifully illustrated collection of the monsters threatening our planet right now. This book challenges young eco-crusaders to make small changes that can have big impacts on climate change. Also from What on Earth is Every Second: 
100 Lightning Strikes, 8,000 Scoops of Ice Cream, 200,000 Text Messages, 1 Million Gallons of Cow Burps … and Other Incredible Things That Happen Each Second Around the World, an illustration-first that reveals intriguing environmental facts taking place around the world every second. Did you know that every second, 15,000 plastic bottles are produced and only1,600 are recycled during the same time?
From Cicada Books comes Earth Shattering Events, an illustrated guide to the natural disasters that happen across the world and what leads to more of them. From volcanoes to cyclones to tsunamis and more, this book goes in-depth with each natural disaster and gives tips on what to do if you’re ever caught in the middle of one.
When the Earth Shook, from Tilbury House 
Publishers, is the story of a little girl who uses her voice for good in the middle of a disaster. When the stars are shrouded by smog and humans can no longer marvel at them, two stars yell at Earth and cause Earth to start sobbing. Earth feels sick and begins to shake, and it seems like there’s nothing anyone can do… until a little girl named Axiom uses a megaphone to share a message of change to make Earth feel better. Because she chose to raise her voice for change, Earth finally stops shaking and the stars twinkle brightly again.
Finally, King Leonard’s Teddy, from Child’s Play, carries a strong environmental message everyone needs to hear. King Leonard is very rich and has everything he could possibly wish for. If anything breaks, he doesn’t try to fix it. He simply buys a new one! That is, until his favorite teddy bear rips and he realizes buying a new one just wouldn’t be the same. On his journey to fix his special bear, King Leonard learns a valuable lesson about reducing, reusing, and recycling, and realizes he has everything he could wish for!
By staying informed about what’s impacting our environment now, we can fight today for a better tomorrow. Celebrate Earth Day at 50 and every day! The Earth needs us and we need the Earth to be healthy.