Learning the 4 R’s of Recycling With Thurman the Turtle!

Living Green: A Turtle's Quest for a Cleaner Planet is an inspirational tale of a young turtle who is tired of seeing the land that he loves cluttered with trash.

It was a beautiful wedding day for the Turtley family, until humans got in the way. Driving by on an overhead bypass, someone in a car above tossed handfuls of garbage out their window to the field below where the wedding was taking place. Tragically, Miss Taylor Turtley was left crying with her soon-to-be husband by her side that was trying to console her because some banana peels ruined her wedding veil and dress!  Her younger brother Thurman was outraged.

“Something has to be done!” Thurman exclaimed, “It’s time for action!”

The family was shocked, but no one felt that they could do anything. Her father tried to console Thurman by telling him, “Forget it, there’s nothing we can do about the humans, Son.”

Deciding to take action, Thurman leaves his home determined to find the source of the problem and to make a difference!

Rethink, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle!

On his quest to track down the source of the problem, Thurman was shocked to learn that people didn’t just throw garbage in his neighborhood. They trashed their own streets and playgrounds! When Thurman finally tracked down some people further along the stream, he was surprised to meet a local elementary science teacher and her students who were on a field trip to plant some trees. She was teaching her eager young pupils about reducing their carbon footprints and about the 4 R’s:

• Rethink – Before using something that is not biodegradable, think twice.
• Reduce – Limit your consumption of non-biodegradable items to reduce the environmental impact.
• Reuse – When consumption is necessary, try to reuse items as much as possible.
• Recycle – When reusing something is not an option, recycle or compost it.

Following Thurman’s Carbon(less) Footprint

At the end of the story, Thurman not only learned that not all people are litterers, he returned home a hero. Celebrated by his family for having the courage to make a difference, he became an inspiration for other local schools to join in and be Green!

The carbon footprints people are leaving behind today are doing unrepairable damage, which is why every child needs to read about Thurman!  You and your children will be delightfully challenged to follow Thurman in his quest to clean up our environment.

A New Annual Family Tradition:

Do your part and plant a tree with your children this National Arbor Day and even consider making it an annual tradition! Usually the last Friday in April, however, many states observe it on different dates according to their best tree-planting times. Check this map here to find out when your state or territory observes Arbor Day. 

And remember: Give your kids their own personal library. Discover a new book every month for FREE only here at MagicBlox, Your Kid's Book Library!