My green day by Melanie Walsh

Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 4063 3001 4.
Warmly recommended for younger readers. Picture book. Environment. With the subtitle, 10 things I can do today, the books has a smiling face peering out of the round hole in the cover inviting readers inside. When she wakes she tells us that she eats free range egg for breakfast, and this is shown in the illustrations, while in smaller print at the bottom of the page, the term, free range, is explained. One the next page we are told that she places the egg shell in the compost bin, and this is shown, again with an explanation of why this is done. Through ten double pages, many with an inset, we see the things the narrator can do at home to be green, thinking about her impact upon the environment. Each page is loaded with things children can talk about. Each page would act as a springboard for a class discussion or small group discussion.
I really like the way the publisher uses cut outs and part pages to create interest in turning each page, and the bold swathes of single colour too added to the interest for the reader. I can imagine this book being used in the classroom, with a teacher using it to introduce a topic about being green, or the environment, or what to do at home to help the planet, and about recycling. There are endless possibilities, but make sure you have a muffin recipe ready to use.
Fran Knight