Title: Compost Stew
Author: Mary McKenna Siddals
Illustrator: Ashley Wolff
Publisher: Tricycle (2010)
I just featured this title on the Authors for Earth Day Facebook page as the Eco-Book of the Month. It is scheduled for release in paperback in October. Here’s my blurb:
This rhythmic, rhyming picture book starts with a call out to environmental chefs to mix up a batch of compost stew from scratch. And alphabetical list of ingredients follows with creative entries for some of the more challenging letters. Beautifully complimenting the text, Ashley Wolff’s collage-style illustrations (made from newspaper, tea bags, grass clippings and other recycled materials) show the wild, red-haired heroine cooking up the recipe till she is left with rich, crumbly compost stew. The result is a light, fun delivery of an important earth-friendly message that begs to be applied to home and extended in the classroom. Additional acitivites, teaching resources and lesson plans are available through the author’s website. Dig in – you will not be disappointed!