Book review: Michael Recycle

“There once was a town                                                Called Abberdoo-Rimey                       Where garbage was left                          To grow rotten and slimy.

It never smelled fresh.                           The air was all hazy.                             But the people did nothing.                       They got rather lazy.”

In flies Michael Recycle, the green-caped crusader who has a plan to save the town,  and the world, through recycling and conservation. That’s the message of this funny picture book that teaches children (and reminds adults like me) to keep the planet healthy and green.

I tested the book on my three-year old, and she had me reading it to her four times in an hour! By the second pass, she was asking me “what’s re-cycle, mummy?”. That’s how I knew the book is a hit. It has all the right ingredients that appeal to kids – a superhero to save the day, whimsical rhyming prose, bold, colorful illustrations, and a message that kids will take to heart.

So when my daughter asked me to explain recycling, I took her to the back pages of the book. It’s a special section with tons of ideas for kids to get involved in conservation, right in their own home.

Michael Recycle is written by Ellie Bethel and illustrated by Alexandra Colombo. The book hits the stores this March in time for Earth Day on April 22, and comes from Worthwhile Publishing / IDW Publishing.