Writing about being green and many other green-related topics to the blogosphere is fairly easy - when my five-year old daughter, however, asks me “what are going to write about today and why do you keep talking about the planet, Mommy?” - well, then it gets difficult. At five, she’s too little to really truly understand many concepts, but we’re trying to start her on the basics. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Don’t leave the water running when you brush your teeth. Hurricanes don’t happen all the time (we lived in Florida during the big 2005 season).

We decided to try out some books, since we’re all bookworms here. We started with The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, and This is My Planet by Jan Thornhill, mainly because they are brand spanking new titles. Laurie David was a producer for An Inconvenient Truth - so you have to give her some credit on knowing the topic. The book lists the appropriate reading ages as 8 and up, and I can see why. Snarky writing and a lot of pop culture references gives it a tweeny feel, although it has piqued my daughter’s interest - she’s in a big animal phase right now. Broken down into four major chapters - “It’s Getting Hot in Here,” “Weird, Wacky Weather,” “Extinction Stinks,” and “What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming,” The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming also has a great glossary of global warming terms, a directory of careers for future green crusaders, and many resources for kids to help make their voices known about how much they care about the planet.

Amazon.com says This is My Planet is for kids ages 9 and up, but it was a much easier read for us at first. Award winning Canadian children’s book writer and illustrator Jan Thornhill provides information in small, concise boxes with a ton of beautiful photos. Thornhill breaks down her book discussing the Earth in general first, then through three specific environments - the ocean, land, and polar regions. Neither book shies away from the seriousness of the subject - this is why I think they brand the books towards older kids. We do, however, take the time to explain that yes, polar bears can’t live in warm weather, but no, the Antarctic is not going to turn into Panama anytime soon.

What does this all mean for you? It’s a lot of information to take in, so I thought this week I would sponsor my own giveaway, by offering one copy each of The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming and This is My Planet to two different winners. You can also purchase these books through the teensygreen Eco-shop. Simple rules this week - leave me a comment and my five-year old future green builder (she’s going to work with Daddy, she’s already decided) will choose the winners at random! You have until Thursday night at midnight, PST, to enter. Also, if you have suggestions for other books, please let us know! We love expanding our library, and I hope you will too! Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed.  Congrats to Blythe for winning “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” and Jennifer Barr for winning “This is My Planet”!