February is National Reading Month. Working at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library for a couple of years during college solidified my love of reading books of all kinds. Though I work somewhere surrounded by recycling instead of books now, there are still plenty of great reads for kids and adults about going green that I’ve come to enjoy. Here are some of my recommendations for some eco-friendly reads this month;   • "Hey, That’s Not Trash" by Renee Jablow: This is a great interactive book for especially young readers. It goes over a young boy teaching those around him what goes in the recycling instead of the trash. Your child can also get practice with special press-out pieces that they then place in paper, plastic or metal bins on the book. It’s a great way to introduce the idea of sorting for recycling and I know some adults that may benefit from a reminder, too! You can also have a great discussion after reading about how children also have the power to influence people around them no matter how young they are.   • "Retrieving With EVIE" by Susan Harp: Created initially as a project for Keep Evansville Beautiful, this fun story is a great teaching tool about cleaning up litter. It’s also inspired by a real labrador who has her own Facebook page where she can interact with fans. Perfect for any young animal lover!   • "Michael Recycle" by Ellie Bethel: This book is perfect for Dr. Seuss fans and has great illustrations. This is better for elementary-age students that have some concept of what recycling is. This book focuses on superhero Michael Recycle as he visits a stinky and messy town. He teaches the town people how to take care of their town through recycling and picking up trash and it transforms the town into a beautiful place to live. It would be a great read before or after participating in a litter cleanup as a family and letting your child be their own superhero creating a better town to live in.   • "Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste" by Bea Johnson: From TED talk speaker Bea Johnson, this book covers how to use five simple steps to living more simply and creating a better planet. It focuses on beginning with refusing new waste and reducing how much we consume and then looking at recycling and composting as a last resort. This story combines an inspirational story with practical tips and routines for creating less waste. If you are just beginning to understand the full process of how we come to use so many things and learning that nothing just “goes away,” this is the book for you.   • "Make Garbage Great" by Tom Szaky and Albe Zakes: Written by the creators of Terracycle, a company focused on recycling hard to recycle materials like cigarette butts, this book covers recycling tips, do-it-yourself projects and fun stories connected to our collective pop culture connections and how it relates to our trash. The book is packed full of fun information. Did you know that the invention of paper made by wood was thought up while watching wasps creating their nests using wood fibers?   • "1,000 Ideas for Creative Reuse" by Garth Johnson: Some books are good to curl up in a cozy chair with and read, others are great for bedtime stories and sometimes you just need a good coffee table book. "1,000 Ideas for Creative Reuse" is great book to pick up and flip through from time to time. It’s a unique visual arts book showcasing work by artists using materials such as jelly candies and turning them into a hat or using milk jugs to create amazing and vibrant sculptures. For a coffee table book that can spark conversation, pick this one up.

From “a world leader in the upcycling And recycling movement,” Terracycle has published a book that’s considered the “household primer to going and staying green.” What’s different about this book, though, is that it’s chock full of more than 200 photographs and illustrations, and more than 100 tips and DIY projects that approach the upcycling subject in a very non-confrontational and user-friendly way. What’s great is that this book’s coffee table appeal means the ideas will always be handy since you won’t have to put it away on a shelf.