E Is for Environment: The ABCs of Conservation

by Lucy Curran, Francesca Rosa (Illustrator)

Overview

A is for Atmosphere, B is for Biodiversity, C is for Conservation, and so on in this delightful concept book that teaches young readers the ABCs of the natural world around us (and how to protect it).

From jungles to recycling to wildlife preserves, each letter of the alphabet is represented by a word and image that reflects everything from the rainforest to the savannah to the depths of the ocean, as well as animal life across the continents. Readers will be inspired to join the movement to conserve species and find out how they can make a difference (because you're never too young to start saving the world!).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762471683
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	95 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lucy Curran's love of books is matched only by her love of nature. She works hard to make better choices for our environment and is always looking for new ways to raise awareness about endangered species. 

Francesca Rosa was born in Italy and grew up in a little town close to Milan. Since she was a child her mind was always made up to becoming an illustrator. Several years later, with this genuine desire, she started her studies at the "Milan School of Comics" and made her dreams come true. In the past, she has cleaned beaches in Sardinia. She now lives in England, surrounded by the countryside and horses. Francesca does her best to reduce meat consumption and teaches her friends how to reduce plastic in a smart and ecological way.

Editorial Reviews

01/17/2022

In unadorned language, Curran offers an uneven abecedarian centering nature and its preservation. One subject glides to the next, covering a wide swath of subject matter—“U is for Universe” (“The universe is larger than anyone can imagine and is made up of all the stars, matter, and living things”) abuts “V is for Vegetables” (“Broccoli, carrot, corn, and potatoes are some of the most popular vegetables”). The amount of relevant information beneath each letter also varies wildly; K, for example, reads “Kaffir lillies are beautiful plants found in South Africa,” while other letters are given in-depth definitions, brief facts, or questions. Brightly colored digital art by Rosa provides more reliably engrossing material, spotlighting humans of varying skin tones and softly airbrushed spreads of flora, fauna, and the outdoors. While the book’s theme is loose at best, it may whet the appetites of the youngest readers seeking more information on the world around them. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

01/14/2022

PreS-K—Colorful double-page watercolors illustrate a fairly random collection of words related to the environment, very simply defined with no additional information or follow-up material. As a picture book for the youngest readers, this may be useful to introduce vocabulary related to environmental lessons. But without any further discussion as to why "N is for Nature Preserve" follows "L is for Landfill," the impact is lost; "R is for Recycling" does not fully impart this important aspect of protecting the environment. A concluding sentence urges readers to do their part to take care of the planet. This is of limited use in a classroom setting. Caveat: "K is for Kaffir Lily" is troubling; kaffir in South Africa is considered a significant racial slur, and as a result, that flower is now more commonly called a bush lily. VERDICT With little information to back up the colorful illustrations, this is a random assortment of vocabulary words.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken

School Library Journal

2021-12-27
Environmental concepts are introduced in an alphabetic format.

“A is for ATMOSPHERE”; “B is for BIODIVERSITY”; “C is for CONSERVATION”; and so on. Each single-page spread covers one letter of the alphabet and provides a one-sentence definition of the spotlighted, all-caps word. Unfortunately, the definitions themselves sometimes use words that children will need adults to define for them; for example, “QUARTZ” is “a mineral found in Earth’s crust,” but mineral and crust are never defined. Some of the artwork uses a double-page-spread composition to connect the ideas on the verso and recto pages. For example, a herd of zebra on one verso make their way (“M is for…MIGRATION”) to a wildlife refuge (“N is for…NATURE RESERVE”) on the recto directly opposite. Although this attempt to connect often quite unrelated concepts on facing pages is clever, the result is sometimes a stretch or cheesy, such as when “QUARTZ” crystals morph into paper trash for “RECYCLING.” The humans depicted in Rosa’s often panoramic digital illustrations are racially diverse with various skin tones and hair textures. One illustration shows a woman wearing a shalwar kameez. It is hard not to presume that some words were selected simply because they fit the alphabetical structure. The inclusion of the racial slur kaffir(“K is for…KAFFIR LILY”) is particularly unfortunate, especially since the accompanying illustration shows a dark-skinned Black child.

N is for…NOT RECOMMENDED. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews