The world is changing.  Some of those changes are for the good.  Some of those changes are not.   And some of those changes happen so quietly they go unnoticed.  The last verse of Habitat by Bill Oliver goes like this:

People are different than foxes and rabbits

Effect the whole earth with our bad habits

Better we love it while we still have it

Or rat-tat-tat our habitat’s gone.

Is that what we want?  With Earth Day fast approaching here are some books that could make you think and wonder about things you can do to make our precious corner of Earth a healthier place for us all.

Can We Save the Tiger by Martin Jenkins helps us understand how and why so many different animal species are endangered.  Some of them have been hunted.  Some of them have lost too much of their habitat.  And some of them are having their food and homes taken over by other species.  Sometimes people try to do good things – but they don’t always end well.  Whether beautiful and splashy or quiet and small their story is told to make the you think.  After all, everything is connected.  If we each think about what we can do, we can make a difference.

How to Save a Species by Marilyn Baillie, Jonathan Baillie and Ellen Butcher introduces us to some of the most threatened species on the planet.  Plants and animals from six continents are featured in the stories that help us understand why they have become endangered and what has been done in some cases to change that.  Some are success stories and some of not-yet-success stories.  I appreciate that these authors help us think about the importance of both plants and animals , both large and small.

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbotr shares the story of how people made a difference starting in 1964 for the 24 remaining parrots and who are still working today to reverse the extinction that humans nearly caused. It is interesting to read about all the attempts scientists made – because over and over again what they hoped would happen didn’t quite work out.

Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor shares the story of how one person  can change everything with careful observation and research. She loved the world and everything in it.  She took time to notice life around her.  She took risks to learn more about nature at a time when most women were discouraged to do that.  Nature mattered to her and she noticed when there  was a story to tell the people needed to hear.   Read her biography and think about what you might do to change Earth for the better.  Wouldn’t it be cool if we could save an endangered species?   Wouldn’t it be grate if we encouraged people to stop doing things the hurt plants or animals or people…  Just imagine….