Compost It is part of Cherry Lake Publishing’s Save the Planet Series. This book walks kids through the steps of composting in a logical, straightforward manner. For kids who are unfamiliar with or rusty on the basics of composting, the linear order will be especially welcome when learning about the details of composting our food.

Utilizing a mission-based hook and interviews with various experts, this book educates children about the reasons for and methods of composting and provides a wealth of statistics and facts. From large scale composting to backyard and apartment composting (one bit featuring worms!), readers will come away knowledgable about the composting process. Note that this is a book (Amazon affiliate link) aimed at older kids, not wee garden lovers. We will definitely be checking out other titles in this series!

Ages 6 and up.

—Jennifer Gannett

View the original review at Vegbook.org

This series focuses on how children can become actively involved in protecting the environment. At the beginning of each book, readers are given a mission and advised to be alert to the facts provided so that they can successfully answer the questions at the end. Next comes a neatly organized list of “What You Know”"“facts to keep in mind while reading"“and then kids are off on an imaginary trip. In Compost It, they visit a gardener who walks a reporter through building his own compost heap. In Growing Your Own Garden, a class visits a school in Pennsylvania that is doing exactly that. Reduce provides numerous easy ways in which children can step up to the plate and recognize their responsibility to the planet. Other titles transport them to China so they can understand the plight of pandas, or to Africa where elephants’ endangered status is explored. No matter which scenario is presented, children are made to feel part of the process; suggestions for how they can become involved abound. The books include “Further Missions” sections that describe such projects as creating a greenhouse in a jar and designing an animal friendly backyard.

SLJ April 2010 Series Made Simple