View source for Stories for a Fragile Planet: Traditional Tales About Caring for the Earth by Kenneth Steven and Jane Ray

{{infobox2
|title=Stories for a Fragile Planet: Traditional Tales About Caring for the Earth
|author=Kenneth Steven and Jane Ray
|reviewer=Jo Heffer
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=Stories for a Fragile Planet is a wonderful anthology of thought provoking stories for children designed to help them think more carefully about this world in which we live. The stories range from ancient times to modern day and are a combination of myths, traditional tales and real life stories. The common theme throughout though is encouraging respect for the Earth and preserving it for future generations.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=48
|publisher=Lion Hudson plc
|date=September 2010
|isbn=978-0745961576
|aznuk=0745961576
|aznus=0745961576
|cover=0745961576
}}

Stories for a Fragile Planet is a wonderful anthology of  stories from long ago and also from the present. The stories come from far and wide – from China to Alaska. They all seem to involve brave characters that care greatly about their environment and who are prepared to do things differently whether it is looking after a blackbird's nest for days until the eggs hatch or caring for a young lion cub who would otherwise die. There are ten stories in total and each one is short but self contained with a very satisfying conclusion. Each one can easily be read in a single sitting and would make ideal bedtime stories for slightly older children.

My seven year old daughter has really enjoyed reading these stories and they have certainly made her think and ask questions. Her favourite story seems to be The Shepherd and the Stone where a simple shepherd living in the South American mountains found a single shiny stone. As soon as he told others about it, events spiralled out of control because they believed there would be more. The mountains were dug into and trees torn down as roads were built in order to set up a mine. The shepherd was saddened by what he had started but he eventually came up with a plan to restore the Earth's balance. Although my daughter was quite saddened by what the machines did to the environment it really made her think too about how the shepherd was eventually able to make a difference.

The stories are all written by Kenneth Steven who seems to have a natural simplicity with his storytelling which I find quite compelling. He doesn't lecture or make judgements but simply leaves the readers to draw their own conclusions. The stories are all accompanied by some gorgeous illustrations from Jane Ray. The combination of the wonderful stories with the lovely pictures make this a most attractive anthology that is likely to appeal to many children either as a book to be shared or to be read alone.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this is the sort of book that would appeal to your child, they could also take a look at [[10 Things I Can Do To Help My World by Melanie Walsh]].

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[[Category:Kenneth Steven]]
[[Category:Jane Ray]]
[[Category:Confident Readers]]
[[Category:Kenneth Steven]]
[[Category:Jane Ray]]