Book Review: Green City

GREEN CITY by Allan Drummond is an informational picture book exploring how one community survived a tornado and rebuilt their community.

Based on a real event, this inspiring picture book tells the story of the small town of Greensburg Kansas was struck by a tornado. When the community began planning for reconstruction, they decided to build in an environmentally sustainable way including reclaimed lumber, wind-resistant buildings, and green energy sources.

Sidebars throughout the book highlight key elements of green construction and sustainable building practices. The book concludes with an author’s note, tips for going green, and source notes.

Librarians will find this book to be an excellent introduction to the idea of sustainable communities. Use this book as a springboard for inquiry-based learning. Ask youth to explore an aspect of green construction of interest. Provide access to books focusing on specific practices such as alternative energy sources to jumpstart their investigations.

To learn more about the author, go to http://allandrummond.com/

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan on March 15, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies

MONSTER GUARD: PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES by the American Red Cross is an engaging middle grade app preparing youth for natural disasters and other types of emergencies.

Sponsored by Disney and reviewed by major government agencies, the app is both engaging and authoritative. This visually attractive educational simulation stresses the Learn-Practice-Share approach including the importance of learning how to stay safe in an emergency, practicing safety strategies, and sharing with friends and family.

Users work their a series of 14 fun training activities. Students can role-play as five different monster recruits, earn badges, and beat high scores as they learn about emergencies. Audio support and subtitles address the diverse needs of learners. The simulated training environments focus on the types of emergencies found in particular areas of the United States such as hurricanes in coastal areas and wildfires in dry regions.

Librarians will find this to be an excellent app for building both science and social studies curriculum connections. Extend the experience by creating a display of books associated with natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods.

To learn more, go to http://www.redcross.org/monsterguard.