Interactive Read Aloud: Earth Takes a Break by Emily House

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted us all, with families across the globe experiencing pain and loss, frontline workers being pushed to their limit, and everyone experiencing isolation and (to varying degrees) a sense of fear. As countries entered mandatory lockdown to limit the spread of the virus, something unexpected happened. There was a significant fall in air pollution. With no public transport, schools and offices shut down, and people ordered to stay indoors, blue skies and visible cityscapes replaced smog-ridden skies above New Delhi, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Paris, and more. It became extremely clear just how much we impact our environment in the day-to-day and how much Earth’s atmosphere and health depends on us. Hopefully we make conscious decisions that best impact the environment moving forward. With cute illustrations, bright colors and clever text, author/illustrator @emilyhouse.design shares this message with our children. We watch as an anthropomorphized Earth who visits the doctor because she’s not feeling well is prescribed four weeks of rest. Four weeks of time off, when she’s not available to humans. “Impossible,” she says, sharing that the humans need her. But to her surprise, the next day, she doesn’t see any humans. Or the day after. They’re all in lockdown. And it gives her just enough time to recover, though she’s “still fragile.” I think this is an important look at how we often take our planet for granted, and an excellent title for teaching littles to care for it. Age Range: 4-8 years Publisher: Emily House Design Publication Date: September 2020 Like + subscribe for more read-alouds daily! Find us elsewhere on the web! www.littlecubliteracy.com Instagram: @littlecubliteracy Twitter: @lilcubliterac

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