Jimmy’s Gone Green

In Jimmy’s Gone Green, a group of young boys gather to consider the plight of Jimmy, their friend, who they’ve heard has gone green. The boys are panicked, believing this to be a symptom of the flu or something worse. Jimmy soon arrives to assuage their fears, explaining that he’s “just helping to keep the environment clean.” Jimmy goes on to offer 10 easy steps his friends can take to do the same.
Jimmy’s Gone Green does a serviceable job of introducing the idea of protecting the environment to children between three and seven years of age. The illustrations are charming, and its use of rhyme is appropriate to its target audience. Unfortunately the story’s premise and presentation are likely to elicit groans from any adult saddled with the job of reading it to their loved one.
Taking care of the environment is an important lesson for young children to learn, and while Jimmy’s Gone Green is not perfect, it can help get the conversation started and lay the groundwork for a lifetime of better habits.

(Book published by Kids Smart Publishing, 2010, 35 pages)

Sara Hart is homeschooling mother of four and owner of Hart Home Daycare in Ottawa, the first daycare in Ontario to be endorsed as Eco-Healthy by the Oregon Environmental Council.