Children’s book review - William Is Going Green

valmg | Sep 27, 2008 | 1 comment

It seems almost daily we learn of new reasons why we should “go green”, another way of saying environmentally friendly. I consider it part of my job as a mother to educate my children on the ways we can help protect our environment. Thanks to the Parent Reviewers I received the opportunity to review the book William Is Going Green by James Martin II.

William Is Going Green is a hardcover book targeting children ages 3-8. It tells the story of a garbage truck named William that learns he must change who he is in order to survive. He begins the story as a smoky white garbage truck working in a city. William found he was no longer desirable after the people of the city complained about the dirty smoke he made. When traveling through another city, Jamestown, he discovers that he will only be desirable again if he gets a new hybrid engine that burns less gas and creates less pollution. Unfortunately, he cannot afford a new engine. After doing a good deed for a stranger by rescuing Gage the cat he is rewarded by the City of Jamestown with the new engine he needs. William is transformed into a green hybrid recycling truck and is once again useful.

James Martin II wrote this book drawing from personal experience in the hopes that it would help educate parents and children alike on how to make this earth a safer and cleaner place for us to live. The main character William was written as a garbage truck because of James Martin III’ s love of garbage trucks as a young boy.

We enjoyed the book. The story is written in words that would be easy for young children to understand. I read this story to my youngest and we had fun. The book contains lots of well drawn, colorful images that grabbed CJ’s attention. Making sound effects to go with the sound words like VROOM and BANG was fun. I recommend this book to anyone whose child is starting to enjoy reading independently or anyone who reads to children. It provides reinforcement to a message that we as parents and educators need to teach today’s children.

You can learn more about William Is Going Green by visiting www.williamthegarbagetruck.com. The book is available to purchase directly on the website for $14.95 and is also available from other popular online booksellers. William Is Going Green is the first book of a series featuring William and other characters in the crew.