Sometimes dreams come from the most unlikely places. This is The Earth was written by Make A Way founder Deedee Cummings after she was watching the news and became discouraged by the political unrest in our country. “Peace is a language,” Deedee says, “and we are not teaching children how to speak it.” She did not plan to write a book that talks about taking care of the Earth, but it was a natural fit. When we take care of ourselves, we take better care of those around us and the spaces we live in.
Earth Day is April 22nd. In honor of this day we are talking about a beautiful book published a few years ago by Make A Way Media called This is The Earth.
This is a book written for kids all about taking care of one another and our home, the Earth. The book is beautifully illustrated by Charlene Mosley and even has a discussion guide in the back. Children need to understand that it is important to take care of the Earth, but it begins with us believing that Earth is home to all of us. We have to commit to taking care of one another. This book is an example of a dream come true. A dream that was born from something that was not pretty, warm, or fuzzy. It is an example of how you can be surrounded by darkness and choose to be the light.
Last year, Deedee was honored to be asked to participate in the annual Read Your World classroom kit. What was last year’s classroom kit about? Environmental Justice. If you have not already signed up for access to this free kit, please do so here. Anyone can use the information generously provided by this nonprofit agency (formerly called Multicultural Children’s Book Day) to talk with children or entire communities about the importance of understanding that the Earth is our home and we that we must take care of it and one another.
Why does Make A Way have a book that aligns with environmental justice? Because environmental justice aligns with empathy. We believe, as Mother Teresa so eloquently said, “We belong to one another”.
We have these days of remembrance like Earth Day so that it causes us all to stop, even if only momentarily, to talk with one another about issues that are important to us. Books are also a great way to begin this discussion with your family or to keep it going. We hope you love the imagery from this book and we are grateful to be able to highlight these topics for children and in our communities. It is a dream come true. Let’s celebrate Earth Day together!
