Bless the Earth

Description

A beautifully illustrated collection of poems and prayers to help children develop an appreciation for the natural world

Bless the Earth, our faithful friend,
her mountain range and river bend,
her forest green and canopy,
the hidden world of bended trees.

Bless the Earth shows the miracle of our planet Earth through beautiful imagery and delightful poetry, calling all people, young and old, to care for our wonderful world. This sweet and welcoming anthology for children ages 3-7 knits together our common humanity and the natural world in an engaging way that is simple for young readers to understand.

Bless the Earth contains approximately sixty selections of original as well as classic poems, divided into five chapters each:

• Dreams for My World
• Earth and Sky
• All Creatures, Big and Small
• Seasons
• Caring for Our World

Bless the Earth calls us again and again to understand how important it is to care for our world, respect our neighbors—humans, plants, and animals alike—and reimagine a world that is healthy and whole.June Cotner is the author of almost forty books, including the bestsellers Graces, Bedside Prayers, and House Blessings. Her books altogether have sold more than one million copies. Cotner has appeared on national television and radio programs and her books have been featured in many national publications, including USA Today, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day, and Family Circle. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their rescue dog, a Border Collie/Corgi mix (a Borgi!).

Nancy Tupper Ling is a children’s author, poet, bookseller, and librarian. Her most recent books are One Perfect Plan: The Bible’s Big Story in Tiny Poems and a collection of poetry entitled For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day, which she coauthored with June Cotner and was a Junior Library Guild Gold selection. Nancy is a bookseller at Blue Bunny Books, and lives with her family in Walpole, Massachusetts.

Keum Jin Song grew up in South Korea. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to be an illustrator, so she studied illustration and design at National University. She is inspired by birds, trees, and flowers and works both traditionally and digitally.A NOTE ABOUT THIS BOOK

“It’s so fragile.” These were the words of ninety-year-old actor William Shatner, as he recently observed Earth from outer space aboard a Blue Origin rocket. Even without heading into space, we can still recognize the vital importance of protecting our planet. Certainly, climate change and environmental awareness are at the forefront of topics that parents and teachers discuss with children. Still, how do we begin to treasure this place we call home?

Through universal prayers of gratitude and earth-related inspirational poems, Bless the Earth encourages families to celebrate the miracle of our world. It also offers another dimension of caring that is often overlooked—a spiritual one. This anthology knits together humanity, the environment, and spirituality in an engaging way.

The final section, titled “Caring for Our World,” is a call to action, as illustrated by the first stanza of the poem by Susanne Wiggins Bunch “It’s Up to Us”:

Yes, it’s up to you and me
to care for the gifts we’re given,
the earth, the sky, the sea.

Truly our hope is that this collection will help parents and children not only cherish Earth but also become stewards of all its beauty.

With gratitude,

June and NancyCN

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