Dear Earth ... from your friends in room 5

Erin Dealey

Book - 2020

"When the kids in room 5 write to Earth asking what they can do to help save our planet, they are delighted to get a letter back."--

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Children's Room jE/Dealey Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers [2020]
Language
English
Main Author
Erin Dealey (author)
Other Authors
Luisa Uribe (illustrator)
Edition
First Edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm
Audience
Ages 4-8.
ISBN
9780062915320
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

When the students in Room 5 are making New Year's resolutions, they send an appreciative letter to Earth. Receiving a gracious response, they start a correspondence that continues, month by month, for the following year. Earth shares ecological concerns and tells the children how they can help: turn off lights to save energy (January). The students reply with comments on their latest eco-friendly projects, such as using refillable water bottles rather than single-use plastic ones (February), and sprouting seeds for their vegetable garden (March). Pleased, Earth calls them "Earth Heroes," a name they proudly use for a new student organization that grows beyond their class to include more children. While the verse text isn't flawless (one student disarmingly says, "I'm not very good at rhyming"), its warm, heartening tone is appealing. Uribe, who lives in Colombia, contributes a series of handsome digital double-page illustrations depicting the students as racially diverse, good-natured, and active. One last encouraging letter, from Dealey to her readers, appears on the closing pages. A fitting classroom read-aloud choice for Earth Day.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1--4--Small changes add up to big results, as Dealey's classroom full of kids--white, Black, brown, pink, one with glasses, another with metal crutches--become monthly pen pals with Earth. The planet magically answers: "Room 5,/Your letter arrived on the wind./A whisper of hope in the night./I'm thankful for helpers who care for their planet./Here's one way: please turn off the lights./Using less electricity saves energy. Stargazers will thank you too!/Your friend, Earth." The next letter tells Earth of the class plan for reusable bottles. Earth replies with the tale of a sea creature that mistakes plastic for dinner. Climate change is a topic soon enough, for the children's resolve is quickening as Earth decides to call them "Earth Heroes." By December the children have learned about gardening, cleaning up the beaches, conserving water, and more. Crisp illustrations provide literal and fanciful versions of events, while back matter offers further suggestions. The upbeat tone on both sides of the correspondence will keep kids turning pages, anxious to see the next payoff in this crescendo of good will and great stewardship. The steps are small, the goals are global, and any class or story hour can launch their own year of being Earth Heroes. VERDICT With an emphasis on good will, this is a primer for a family or a club, and would also be the basis for a dramatic presentation on Earth Day.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A year's worth of letters between elementary students and Earth highlight practical ways to care for our planet. The students of Room 5 hope to "do our part" to care for their world. In January, they send a letter to Earth asking for suggestions; the Earth happily replies. This series of monthly exchanges includes familiar recommendations, beginning with turning off the lights and ending with regifting Christmas presents with recycled wrappings, and why these actions matter. What begins as an all-class activity becomes an "Earth Heroes" club by the following September, led by Bernard, the most enthusiastic correspondent. Over the year they've adopted reusable water bottles, planted a garden, begun to bike to school, used both sides of pieces of paper, and convinced the school cafeteria to contribute compost to their garden, among other actions. In the process, Bernard, a boy with light-brown skin, even becomes more skillful at rhyming. In cheerful, bustling illustrations, Uribe depicts a wonderfully diverse group of schoolchildren indoors and out. They vary in hair, eye, and skin color and hairstyle; some wear glasses or use mobility aids. The pages with Earth's letters feature smiling globes, attractive scenery, and appealing animals, including a sea turtle, a winsome black-footed ferret, and even a nesting red knot. The final spread includes a simple explanation of climate change's causes and effects and a summary of things Earth Heroes can do. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 94.1% of actual size.) A well-thought-out presentation of an important environmental message. (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.