This is a great book for introducing your child to
‘green living’, or to encourage what they may already be doing. Arthur’s
teacher gives his class the assignment to come up with ways to make our planet
a better place. Arthur's classmates come up with many good ideas. Arthur calls his idea “The Big Green
Machine”, but he leaves readers guessing for most of the book what it actually
is. However, Arthur’s little
sister, D.W., misunderstands what it means to ‘go green’ and thinks something
is going to physically turn her brother green! The hand-drawn and water-colored
illustrations fill the pages with color and detail, providing plenty for your child to check out while you’re reading, or to enjoy while flipping through
the book on their own.
Arthur performs many energy and water saving activities that
your child can try as well, such as unplugging appliances not being used,
taking a shorter shower, using energy efficient light bulbs, and turning lights
off that are not being used. It would be a fun project to try any of these
things with your child, or to come up with some more of your own! There is
also a lot of green in every scene, so it can be an exciting game to see how many
green things your child can spot on each page.
I read this book to my niece when she had
just celebrated Earth Day at her preschool. They were each given a tree
to bring home and plant. Before planting the tree, I read her Arthur’s story,
in hopes that she may better understand why the tree is so wonderful. I told
her it would grow each year – just like her! – and provide fresh
oxygen, shade, and homes for birds, small animals, and bugs. By the time we
were done, Emily was very excited about her little tree, and we took a picture
of her by it to compare both of their growth each year.
--Audra