Anthology for the Earth

I stumbled on this title in the children's section of the local library, but I'd say it's a toss-up: the excerpted text in this book includes material from a wide range of grown-up writing and the colorful illustrations aren't just for kids. This would be a terrific book to share with youngsters from about 10 years up. From single sentence aphorisms to several page long stories, the cross cultural mix is all aimed toward respect for nature, understanding inter-relatedness and the idea that we are not apart. From the story of the first interaction of Australian aborigines and whites to a Scottish hunting tale, the felling of a tree to the saving of toads crossing a road in a summer rain, the views offered are telling and panoramic. Steinbeck, Leopold, Muir, Schweitzer, Ovid, Tolstoy, Cather, Attenborough, Kipling, Hardy, Douglas Adams, Edward O. Wilson, Chekov, Lorenz, Julian Huxley and Paton are included (among others): the usual suspects but not the usual quotes. An excellent introduction to literature and ecologic thought served up in manageable bites.