feature on new children’s titles that celebrate the natural world. Standing before the generous selection of nature-centered books in the children’s section, I realized that the kid-specific Little Free Library at my house desperately needed an infusion of earth-helping titles.
Some of the books I brought home that day are quiet stories about the pleasure of being in community with the nonhuman world. “,” written by Shira Boss and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez, describes the way life changes for the better when city workers plant a tree in front of a child’s building. Where once there was only the rumbling of garbage trucks, for instance, now there is birdsong. “The city clanged and snorted and roared … the tree rustled and swished and soothed,” writes Ms. Boss.
I am partial to stories as a vehicle for inspiring change, but many children respond best to facts. For those children, there are plenty of nature-specific titles, too.