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Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful: informative and fun to read !
Review: I checked this book out from the library and we enjoyed it so much we had to buy one. This book contains simple eco-friendly ideas anyone can try, such as making a bird house out of a milk carton, planting a garden to attract butterflies and other creatures, how to avoid overuse of styrofoam and other non-recyclable materials. It does not suggest major lifestyle changes, just small changes that can add up over time. And it is fun to read! It contains mini-quizes for kids on each topic, such as: which of the following will a worm not eat- vegetables, dirt, or steak?(answer= worms don't eat meat). Each idea includes a question & answer, a description of the concept (such as recycling), a few projects to try at home (such giving old toys to charity or having a yard sale instead of throwing them out), and addresses to write to for more information (such as the National Wildlife Federation, which can help you plan a custom made wildlife-friendly yard). Great, simple projects for kids - a grown-ups too. I am going to buy the sequel as well and look forward to reading it cover-to-cover.
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Summary: Practical, realistic, easy.
Review: I first read this book years ago as a child. Perhaps the few reviewers on here who do not like the book (and use this review as an outlet for their own personal politics) on here do not realize that parents, teachers, community leaders and religious leaders hardly shelter kids from the outside world as it is, and this book will not upset children, ruin their happiness or waste their childhood at all. As a kid, my friends and I readily accepted this book and were happy to carry out many of the suggestions. Adults seem to look down on kids a lot and think that they just want to play all day and have little care for anything but themselves. The things kids love, such as animals and the outdoors, are in danger, and this book lets kids contribute to help saving them. There are plenty of little tips in this book that do not advocate huge, drastic lifestyle changes. This book also does not come across as preachy or arrogant. Overall it is practical and enjoyable to read.
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Summary: 50 Simple Things Parents Can Do to Raise Eco-Automatons
Review: Melissa Poe, age nine: "Mr. President, if you ignore this letter we will all die of pollution and the ozone layer" (from Newsweek "Just for Kids!?!"). Catherine Mitchell: "Our Earth is getting hotter every minute and the only way we can stop it is to stop burning styrofoam I'm also too young to die, might I add, so stop burning the Earth! " (from the FACE newsletter). Jesse Hornstein, age 10: "No gases! No air pollution! It's life or death" (from 50 Simple Things). Adam Adler, age 11: "I think global warming and the greenhouse effect are very bad! What do we want the earth to become, a flaming ball?" (from 50 Simple Things). 50 Simple Things takes a number of things that have traditionally been a source of joy for children and turns them into potential nightmares. "Helium balloons? Big, bouncing, bobbing . . . Oops? When helium balloons are released, they are often blown by strong winds into the ocean. Even if the sea is hundreds of miles away, balloons can still land there. Sometimes sea creatures think balloons are food and eat them. Sea turtles, for example, eat jellyfish - which look and wiggle just like clear balloons. If a turtle makes a mistake and eats a balloon, the balloon can block its stomach. So the turtle can starve to death." Similarly, it tells children, "most crayons are made from oil. Since oil comes from prehistoric creatures, you might be coloring with the last remains of a Tyrannosaurus Rex!" or "Have you ever made pictures with markers? Some have chemicals with names like 'toluene' and 'ethanol' in them. Creating these chemicals makes pollution and uses oil." Even toys don't escape the wrath of environmental education. "Toys just don't come from toy stores. They come from materials taken out of the Earth. So if they break right away, and you have to buy new ones to replace them, you're not only creating a lot of extra garbage, you're using up the treasures of the Earth."
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Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is the exact reason I was scared to walk outside as a kid. I thought "acid rain" was going to burn my head every time I walked anywhere. (Fortunately I realized the rain always cooled my head, as common sense would dictate.) I was also afraid that there would be mass flooding when I went to the beach because of polar icecaps melting. (But, of course, that didn't happen either.) We can't lie to kids any longer. They don't deserve to walk around scared. The truth is scientists are split on global warming and there is no convincing evidence that we should be afraid at all of the earth rising a few degrees over the next 100 years. The facts are in kids: Live freely; don't be afraid; and only read this book if you want to laugh at how gullible all the other kids are.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is totally awesome. I am interested in the environment and since this book includes quotes by kids my age, I feel I am really connected. It makes me feel really cool, like I can really make a difference in the world. And it helps. It tells you ways to help the earth- simple ways. And I learned a lot from it. It has a lot of good, interesting facts in it too.
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