The Walt Disney Company has always been an environmental conservation innovator. There are a multitude of wonderful examples throughout the company; the Walt Disney Conservation Fund, the wildlife preserve located on Walt Disney World property, and Animal Kingdom theme park to name a few. All of these popular entities are excellent platforms for raising environmental awareness. The Walt Disney Company continues to spread the word in their newest project Go Green! A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle. In conjunction with EDDA USA Publishing, this book strives to teach young readers what it means to “go green” with the help of Mickey Mouse and his friends.
To begin with, this hardback book is approximately 94 pages of brightly colored pictures and text. The font is easy to read and the colorful format is very eye catching. Before reading any book, I always take time to review the publishing house, author(s), and any type of dedications or acknowledgments. This is a best practice as you may be pleasantly surprised at the amount of information you can gain. I was unfamiliar with EDDA Publishing and through research was able to discern that this company is based out of Sweden and has been in operation throughout Iceland and Europe for over three decades. EDDA USA Publishing is the branch of the company that handles North American and Canadian sales. The authors of the book are both foreign heralding, I believe from Sweden. Unfortunately, I was unable to find good information on these authors, something that is important to me when purchasing a book about physical science regardless of the intended audience. I found it interesting that the book was not printed on recycled paper. However, it is printed on FSC Certified Paper which is still considered environmentally friendly as it is from virgin tree fibers from well manged forests.
In regards to the actual printed word, this book is designed for first through third grade children, and best read along with a parent. Overall, Go Green! A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle attempts to cover too many things in one book thus resulting in a somewhat disjointed voice. The book starts off wonderfully discussing how going green is all about choices and it not only means living a green life by recycling but by living a good, virtuous life. Having friends, being active, searching for new experiences, and eating well are just a few of the topics touched upon. The authors offer up activities to aid in self improvement such as making a list of enjoyed physical activities or a list of new foods to try. However, the book soon falls apart as crafts are added into the mix and then the authors move into describing how to be environmentally friendly often using terms that would be well outside the intended audiences vocabulary.
In regards to the artwork, the graphics of Mickey Mouse and his friends do more to distract than to attract readers to the page. Often the graphics seem to be haphazardly chosen and placed on the page. It seems that the only reason the graphics are used is because they are recognizable Disney characters. The graphics often do little to help promote the message of the text. Overall, it feels as if the authors are too strongly relying on the popularity of the characters to carry the book opposed to the actual content.
Go Green! A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle would have been a wonderful success if it was broken down into two books allowing for a much smoother read. One book could have utilized the first half of material which focuses on being a good person and the other book solely on being a green environmentally conscious person. The crafts and activities that are found in Go Green! could have easily been interspersed between the two books instead of feeling somewhat overshadowed. There are some really great crafts to do as a family featured in Go Green! Unfortunately, they just get lost to the many, many different topics.
Go Green! A Family Guide to a Sustainable Lifestyle is the first in a series of books EDDA USA Publishing hopes to print. In fact, they have already announced the next title, Green Planet! which will be released this October. I hope that the authors strive to present the new material for this book in a more concise manner so families can truly enjoy the series.