Josephine: A Pathway to Freedom

Praise:

Sustainability and the future of our planet is something we should all be aware of. But in a world facing so many ecological challenges, where do we begin? Lily and her friends want to build a café in their community garden where their neighbours can meet and spend time together. However, they need help to achieve this goal. Along with police officers, firefighters, and others, Lily and her friends wash cars, sell lemonade, hold a garage sale, and collect recyclable materials. It s a big goal but Lily is determined to succeed. Filled with vibrant illustrations by Virginia Elena Patrone, Ralph Weder s charming interactive text invites young readers to help Lily and her friends to think about ways they can raise the money they need to build their café. The text highlights the importance of taking care of the earth and not wasting precious resources. It emphasises the value of working together to achieve a goal. It prompts us to care for others in the community. It also points out that it s important to find time for a little fun. Ecological Community reminds us that sustainability doesn t have to be a burden, and that everyone in the neighbourhood can contribute to a happy and healthy world.

-- S.C. Farrow, author

Ecological Community, written by Ralph Weder and illustrated by Virginia Elena Patrone, is a colorful, educational and interactive picture book for children. It also contains a very important positive message: that we need to take care of our communities and our earth. And to do so, we must live in sustainable ways that support and nurture our environment.

The book includes many colorful illustrations of children and adults as they find ways to help their communities. Some examples include: growing and harvesting a community garden, holding garage sales, recycling, and composting. People in communities who provide daily public services are also highlighted: policeman, firemen, postal workers. The importance of eating healthy, locally grown food and freeing our homes of toxins is explored , as well as supporting small businesses and finding positive, small ways to collect funds for community projects.

Young children who read this book with their caregivers will learn ways to help and interact with others where they live, as well as gain an understanding of what it means to be ecologically conscious. The book ends with a call for children and their friends to set up their own ecological community in their neighborhood, with an invitation to write about how they did it afterwards. Perhaps this book will find its way into the hands of young students who may decide to embark on an ecological project in their schools and communities. And what a positive end to reading this picture book that would be! No doubt, that is exactly what its creators intended.

Thank you to the publishers, Children's Books of Dixi, who provided me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

-- Stacie, Goodreads Reviewer