When the Monkeys Came Back by Kristine L. Franklin

About the book: Always remembering how the monkeys in her Costa Rican valley disappeared when all the trees were cut down, Marta grows up, persuades her husband to give her a piece of land on which she plants trees and cares for until they grow into a forest, and sees the monkeys come back.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Atheneum (September 1, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0689318073

My thoughts: This is a wonderful little book that will get the kiddos thinking. It follows Marta in her life long quest to re-grow the jungle near her home and entice the monkeys to come back. The lovely illustrations help give this story a sense of place. I had thought it would be nice to pair this with Dr. Suess' The Lorax for a realistic look at conservation.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Amazon.com Review: When Dr. Seuss gets serious, you know it must be important. Published in 1971, and perhaps inspired by the "save our planet" mindset of the 1960s, The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment. In The Lorax, we find what we've come to expect from the illustrious doctor: brilliantly whimsical rhymes, delightfully original creatures, and weirdly undulating illustrations. But here there is also something more--a powerful message that Seuss implores both adults and children to heed.
The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but his words of wisdom are for naught. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colorful version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean, green future. (Ages 4 to 8)

My thoughts: I love this book and have read it many times over the years to my classes. This book has been considered quite controversial and has even been banned on grounds that it "criminalizes the forestry industry." There are many activities to be found online to go along with this book. Or, it is just fun to read.

Quotes:
1."So I quickly invented my Super-Axe-Hacker
which whacked off four Truffula Trees at one smacker."

2. "Once-ler!" he cried with a cruffulous croak.
"Once-ler! You're making such smogulous smoke!
My poor Swomee-Swans ... why, they can't sing a note!
No one can sing who has smog in his throat."