The Chicken Nuggets Must Live!
LEFT: "This is what happens when you litter on the earth." RIGHT: "This is what happens when you keep the earth clean."
The Making of a Revolutionary
When my oldest daughter was 2 years old and first learned the sad hard truth of the chicken nugget, she formed a revolt. "The Chicken Nuggets Must Live!" she shouted, tiny fist in air.
She turned 9 years old this Halloween, and while she still eats the occasional nugget (my children were contemplating a world where nuggets were made of people, butterflies and dinosaurs ^.^), she is still a revolutionary, and the staunchest environmentalist I know.
I have been recycling–and sometimes composting–since she was born. She went to a Waldorf School for her first year, and she loves animals and nature. It's not surprising then, that she doesn't want the Earth to die. What is surprising to me is how consistent she is in the little things.
She will pick up the grossest, nastiest piece of garbage you can imagine, and walk blocks to find a proper receptacle for it. As a mother, I cringe. And caution. And buy her gloves. As a human, I applaud her. (I do this as her mom too, don't get me wrong.) She even cleans up lunch trash while other kids play. And she is making a difference. With each piece of garbage she picks up, she is saving something of our Earth for the future.
Lessons From the Young
So often we as grown-ups get so burdened by oil spills and toxic waste and ozone layers that we forget to bend down and pick up that paper on the sidewalk. Yes, we need to be conscious of the global impact our collective choices make, but, don't let those issues become so overwhelming as to paralyze you from the simple day-to-day things we all can do to make life more beautiful.
When she was 8 years old, after cleaning up some trash in our neighborhood, she came home and drew the picture you see above. On her own. Without any prompting. I was floored, and awed, and proud. In case the quality makes it hard, that's an X in the eye of the deer eating trash, because it will die. (The other deer is smiling, by the way, and I'm really mostly sure that's a leg…)
Inspiration
My kids inspire me daily–in my writing and in life. They are the reason I took a small break from writing my YA paranormal novel Forbidden Fire (book #2 in the Forbidden Series) to write three children's chapter books based on worlds they discovered.
About Lexie World
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Lexie and her sisters cross the Waters of Waste and battle Garbage Goblins to save Lexie World!
5-year-old Lexie is tired of getting in trouble for leaving her stuff and trash outside. She doesn't mean to litter or ruin her shoes, but it's just so hard to remember sometimes.
When she, her two big sisters and their dog TayTay end up finding a portal to Lexie World, Lexie discovers the consequence littering has had on Lexie World. Garbage Goblins have taken over and are destroying the Earth!
To save Lexie World, the girls (and dog) must travel with their new Unicorn friend through the Waters of Waste and over the Mountain of Lost Clothes to retrieve a piece of the Mirror of Ice in order to remind the Garbage Goblins of their true form and break their curse.
On this journey, Lexie learns about courage, love and the importance of taking care of her world.
I'm a Mom
I'm a mom, and I wrote this book, and the subsequent books, for my kids. I also wrote them for your kids. Lexie World includes discussion questions for you and your child to talk about how they can participate in caring for the Earth.
Book #1 of The Three Lost Kids series, Lexie World, is now launched and available onSmashwords and Bookie Jar, where you can download any version that works with your eReader or computer. (I think you can even print out the PDF and read it that way.) The book includes full color illustrations by the amazing Josh Evans.
And remember, we can help in small ways to keep our Earth beautiful. What are some ways you and your family care for the environment?
