Monday's green books series: Little Panda and Little Monkey (and a great giveaway!)

Last month we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books.

In the next couple of weeks we will review the first four books that were published so far. Today, on our Monday's green books series, we have the pleasure to start with two of them that are about two good friends - a little monkey and a little panda.

Our books for today are:

Little Monkey by Kimberly Ainsworth and Little Panda by Kimberly Ainsworth

Little Monkey

Author: Kimberly Ainsworth

Illustrated by: Michelle Berg

Published on: September 9, 2008

Ages: 3 and under

Description: Meet Little Monkey and his friend Little Panda as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together! Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece.This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material. Safe for all ages.


Little Panda

Author: Kimberly Ainsworth

Illustrated by: Michelle Berg

Published on: September 9, 2008

Ages: 3 and under

Description: Meet Little Panda and his friend Little Monkey as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together. Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece. This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material. It's the perfect gift for a baby!

These two cloth book communicate with each other as we find both heroes - the little panda and the little panda on both books. Both are written by Kimberly Ainsworth and have beautiful illustrations.

Now, as an adult it's very hard to make up your mind about these kind of books. You need to have a kid in the right age (3 and under) to get an objective review of the book. Fortunately I have one. My baby girl, Shira, is 4 months old, and I gave her both books to experience with for a couple of weeks. And here are her impressions:

1. Both books are very tasty.

2. Both the panda and the monkey are cute, but the monkey is the favourite one!

3. The illustrations are really eye catching, especially when the monkey is included.

4. Text is interesting - she listened very patiently couple of times when I read her the stories.

5. The books became part of her most favorite toys - she can play with them for a really long time before she throws them away.

So these are Shira's impressions and I count on her judgment! I can only add that these books survive the laundry machine very well and look like they can hold forever (or at least until Shira will get stronger..).

And of course, there's the green part we shouldn't forget about: the books are made from 50% recycled material, the covers are Polartec® fleece made from recycled material and they come packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing are giving away one package of the 4 books published so far in the Little Green Books line: Little Panda, Little Monkey, I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming.

This is a great prize and firstly we thank Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for it! How do you get a chance to win this prize? please add a comment below with an answer for the following question: what is the best way to plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age? if you have stories from your own experience with your kids that would be great.

Submissions are accepted until Sunday, October 19, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.

More relevant links:

I CAN SAVE THE EARTH! contest web page

On Eco-Libris website: http://www.ecolibris.net/littlegreenbooks.asp

Green Little Books' website: www.SimonSaysKids.com/LittleGreenBooks

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: http://www.ecolibris.net

Eco-Libris' September winners at the Garden Gate Shop

Last August we published here the story on the Garden Gate Shop in the Missouri Botanical Garden, which initiated an Eco Libris sales contest between the sales associates.

The Garden Gate Shop is taking part in our bookstores program, offering visitors to plant a tree with us for every book they buy at the store and receive our "One tree planted for this book" sticker at the counter.

We are happy to present the September winners. From left to right, Sheena Petty, Nichole Martinez,and Erin Roe! And don't be wrong - these crowns are real!

Thank you to all the winners, as well as all the other wonderful people of the Garden's shop who are taking part in the joint effort to make reading more sustainable.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

The green builders' book club

While checking out the website of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), I learned on a new book club they're establishing with Island Press: GreenWorks. It will offer USGBC members the newest and best books on green building.

GreenWorks, according to the news release, will offer professionals a place to connect with others in the field, share their thoughts on various books, ideas and authors, as well as learn more about all things green building.

The books will be selected on a monthly basis by a panel of leading experts in the field, and are available for purchase from Island Press. USGBC members will be able to buy at discounted prices (up to 40%).

The first four books to be featured on GreenWorks are:

1. Emerald Architecture, by GreenSource Magazine, a collection of 24 in-depth case studies of green buildings that are both sustainable and attractive.

2. The Green Building Revolution, by Jerry Yudelson

3. Sustainable Construction, 2nd edition, by Charles J. Kibert

4. The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Created a Sustainable World, by Peter M. Senge with Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur and Sara Schley.

You can find more details at GreenWorks' website: http://www.islandpress.org/usgbc

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

The Secret Life of Paper

How is paper production related to forest destruction and global warming? Why is recycling and buying recycled paper important? Some of the replies to these questions can be found below in a video called "The Secret Life of Paper".

Thanks to the Green Initiative Press' last newsletter I learned about this interesting video of INFORM. It is part of INFORM’s Secret Life Series, which is a collection of videos that highlight the environmental impacts of everyday products we all use.

INFORM is an organization that is "dedicated to educating the public about the effects of human activity on the environment and public health. Our goal is to empower citizens, businesses and government to adopt practices and policies that will sustain our planet for future generations."



You can find more important information on the environmental impacts of paper production, paper recycling, alternative fibers, and policy at the Secret Life Series website.

Enjoy the video,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

The Bible has never looked so green

I'm not a religous person, but I always believed that religion and environment goes hand in hand, especially when what religious people see as god's creation is in danger. That's why I was happy to hear about The Green Bible.

The Green Bible, which was published this week by HarperOne (a HarperCollins imprint), includes besides the bible itself many special features tracing environmental themes woven through Scripture. The unique green features include:

- Green-Letter Edition: Verses and passages that speak to God's care for creation highlighted in green
- Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- Essays of author Brian McLaren on the theological shift toward creation care; preacher Barbara Brown Taylor on our responsibility to care for what God loves; the late pope John Paul II on the ecological crisis as a moral problem; Jewish environmentalist Ellen Bernstein on ten principles of creation theology; and Anglican Bishop of Durham, England N.T. Wright on how we must be God’s agents in bringing forth environmental renewal today. - Inspirational quotes from Christian teachings throughout the ages
- A green Bible topical index
- A personal green Bible trail study guide
- An appendix with information on further reading, how to get involved, and practical steps to take

The Green Bible strives to equip and encourage people to see God's vision for creation and help them engage in the work of healing and sustaining it. With over 1,000 references to the earth in the Bible, compared to 490 references to heaven and 530 references to love, the Bible carries a powerful message for the earth.

The Good Book is produced with soy-based inks, 10% recycled paper, and a 100% cotton/linen cover. It is targeted to people who share both green and religious beliefs - Mark Tauber, senior vice-president for HarperOne, told BusinessWeek that they hope to sell 25,000 to 30,000 copies a year and that he wants to market The Green Bible to eco-aware churches and influential thinkers.

The Bible “is an ecological handbook on how to live rightly on earth,” says conservationist Cal DeWitt, one of the contributors. Well, I guess that even atheists can be interested with this green interpretation of the bible.

For more information visit http://www.greenletterbible.com/. You're also welcome to watch this video from the website:



Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Launch party of 'The White Road' this Saturday in Jerusalem

Last month we updated you on the launch of Tania Hershman's first book, The White Road and other Stories, which is published by UK's renowned Salt Publishing. This great collection of short stories is going green with us and we're planting a tree for every copy printed.

And no book launch is completed without a launch party, so we're happy to update you that Tania is having a launch party this Saturday in Jerusalem!

Here are the details of the party:

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 7:30pm - 10:30pm
Location: Jerusalem, Israel. For the address details please write Tania at tania@thewhiteroadandotherstories.com

Tania will be doing short readings from the book at around 8.pm and at 9pm, and copies of the book will be available to buy.

Here are some more details about the book:

What links a café in Antarctica, a factory for producing electronic tracking tags and a casino where gamblers can wager their shoes? They're among the multiple venues where Tania Hershman sets her unique tales in this spellbinding debut collection.

Fleeing from tragedy, a bereaved mother opens a cafe on the road to the South Pole. A town which has always suffered extreme cold enjoys sudden warmth. A stranger starts plaiting a young woman's hair. A rabbi comes face to face with an angel in a car park. An elderly woman explains to her young carer what pregnancy used to mean before science took over. A middle-aged housewife overcomes a fear of technology to save her best friend. A desperate childless woman resorts to extreme measures to adopt. A young man's potential is instantly snuffed out by Nature's whims. A lonely widow bakes cakes in the shape of test tubes and DNA.

A number of these stories are inspired by articles from science magazines, taking fact as their starting points and wondering what might happen if . . .? In these surreal, lyrical stories, many of which are only a few pages long, Tania Hershman allows her imagination free rein, as her characters navigate through love, death, friendship, spirituality, mental illness and the havoc wreaked by the weather.

More on 'The White Road and Other Stories':

The book's website

The White Road and Other Stories - A Short Stories Collection is Going Green

Tania Hershman's website

Enjoy the party!
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

Eco-Libris blog is on the list of the top 100 environmentalist blogs

We just got an update that Eco-Libris blog that was included in "The Top 100 Environmentalist Blogs" list of the blog X-Ray Vision-aries Blog.

This is very exciting news and we thank X-Ray Vision-aries Blog for having us on this list, together with so many blogs that we admire and follow.

You can find the list on this link: http://www.x-raytechnicianschools.org/ekg-technician/the-top-100-environmentalist-blogs/.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!