How Green are your children’s books?

 

by Mark Waterfield

Mark Waterfield from Moss Green Childrens Books wrote to us recently and we were inspired by his new business featuring green books for children. Mark tells his story…

We set up Moss Green Children’s Books because we want to help the environment and raise more funds for children’s charities. In our online bookshop you can see which stories can help your child become more aware of the natural world. And every time you make a purchase, even more money will go to children’s charities. We’re donating 66% of our total profits, every year.

You can get involved too - you and your children can vote for a charity and award a green rating to the stories you know. So how does this green rating system work we asked?

Our green rating system helps you work out  which books to buy for your children by asking the question, how green is this book?  Without reading a story, you’ll get an idea of what is NOT green or whether it has a strong green theme or just helps to develop a love of nature - or anything in between.

As well as voting for which children’s charity you think deserves the profits, you can also get involved by helping us rate our books.

A huge thanks must go to the team of Sixth Formers at Reading Girls School who developed the ranking system, and their mentors at Reading University. These socially responsible future business leaders devised it in their spare time!

Many brilliant classic stories were written and published before the environmental crisis. Our rating system helps you evaluate these stories, too. So how does our system work? There are Six levels, starting with “NOT Green” through to “All Green.” Some examples of our Book Ratings include:

A Touch of Green: Winnie the Pooh

A classic story with a touch of green. Nature plays a role in the story but as the background to the plot. In a wood, different animals and Christopher Robin look after each other in their own caring and thoughtful way.

A Splash of Green: Wind in the Willows

Nature plays a stronger role in this classic children’s story about the lives of animals who live beside the river or in the woods. Each animal’s endearing characteristic comes alive in the reader’s imagination. Toad’s car is unpopular but not to the extent that the book merits a higher green ranking.

Light Green: Watership Down

Another classic children’s book, rated ‘almost green’ because the destruction of the rabbits’ warren is the focus of the story. Because of one rabbit’s premonition, five rabbit characters abandon their warren and go on an adventure, full of close scrapes and excitement.

Almost Green: The very hungry caterpillar

This book is all nature , describing the caterpillar’s fascinating full life cycle in an engaging manner, from an egg to a beautiful butterfly. It encourages a child’s love for nature. This book is not All Green as Green concepts of today are not discussed.

All Green; Carbon Diaries 2015, Look after your Planet and Planet in Peril

These books are as Green as it gets. The content of these books lives up to their respective titles.

So why buy from us?

• Help your children love our amazing planet
• Teach your children about green issues
• 66% of profits go direct to children’s charities
• You can vote for or nominate your favourite charity
• You’ll make the sixth formers at Reading Girl’s School very happy, who devised the green rating system.

Moss Green was created by Mark Waterfield. When Mark’s not busy reading more wonderful books, he likes wandering around the edge of beautiful Blackwater Estuary in Essex, spotting wildlife. He planted a wild flower meadow and has just built two compost bins out of recycled wooden pallets.

Do take a look at the Moss Green Book selection and free colouring materials offering your child the chance to colour vegetables and fruit in season. www.mossgreenchildrensbooks.co.uk

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