Stories to celebrate Earth Day

Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Fast forward to 2021, the protection of the Earth, its soils, forests and oceans still needs the mobilisation of kids and adults alike and to get you going we have gathered a few resources which will help you take better care of nature.

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Le petit peuple du sol by Philippe Ug | Grandes personnes

This gorgeous pop-up book will absolutely delight your little ones. With its amazing 3D paper cut outs this book will take them on an adventure among mushrooms, above and underground, and will reconnect them with mother Earth and all its little helpers; a beautiful love letter to Nature!

Marie & Claire : respecter la nature by Bénédicte Voile and Céline Potard | Marie-Claire

The sun is shining today, so Marie and Claire decide to go for a picnic outside. But in the middle of the forest, many questions arise for the little girls: what are the insects for? How to pick mushrooms? And above all, what are the consequences of pollution on nature?

This nice story deals with a sensitive subject and opens the reflection and the dialogue between kids and their parents around Nature and its protection.

Une bête au paradis by Cécile Coulon | L'Iconoclaste

Émilienne lives in Paradise, an isolated farm in northern France. After the sudden death of her daughter and son-in-law, she is left to raise her two little grandchildren: Blanche and Gabriel. As seasons pass, Blanche develops a strong connection to her home and the generations of women who have guarded it. When she meets Alexandre, Blanche falls into a deep love from which she can never recover. In this family saga, Cécile Coulon gives a gripping voice to the rural world and delivers a dark and lyrical tale about human nature, revealing everyone’s uncontrollable inner bestiality.

Les Ignorants by Etienne Davodeau | Futuropolis

Étienne Davodeau is a comic artist - he doesn’t know much about the world of winemaking. Richard Leroy is a winemaker - he’s rarely even read comics. But filled with good will, the two men exchange professions, and Étienne goes to work in Richard’s vineyards and cellar, while Richard, in return, leaps into the world of comics. Providing a true-life representation of how both professions work, this book investigates two fascinating fields, exploring each man’s motivations and ultimately revealing that their endeavours are not much different.

Débuter son potager en permaculture by Nelly Pons | Actes Sud

Conceived as a concrete and practical extension of the film Demain, the “Je passe à l'acte” collection provides a set of answers to all those who were left with a desire to act here and now, together. Each book is built on an identical summary: Why? / Surround yourself / Equip yourself / Get started / Hold on / And after... and is seen as an essential resource at the start of each project. In this ethical and technical book, gardeners will find all the advice to help them get started in permaculture.

Quand la forêt brûle by Joëlle Zask | Premier Parallèle

Fires in Siberia, California, Amazonia. Forest fires have taken on such magnitude in recent years that they have come to change their nature: we are now dealing with "mega-fires". At a time of ecological crisis, they reveal the fundamental ambiguity of the relationship we have today with nature. A nature that is both idealised but which we strive to dominate. These fires are a symptom of a sick society, a symptom that should push us to rethink the way we dialogue with a "nature" which is never more than the result of the attentive care that human beings have lavished on their environment for millennia. This essay is a powerful and necessary read!

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Le patriarcat contre la planète with Jeanne Burgart-Goutal and Victoire Tuaillon | Binge Audio

Is there a link between patriarchy, the oppression of women and the destruction of the living world? In this podcast, Jeanne Burgart Goutal, associate professor of philosophy and yoga teacher, explains the ecofeminism movement, a branch of feminism that examines the connections between women and nature.

L' effondrement et moi by Sonia Kronlund | France Culture

When the thermometer hit 42°C one summer, Karine started to panic. In this first episode, she will see Anne and Florent, friends settled in Burgundy and much more virtuous than her. They educate their daughters with strict respect for the planet.

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Anaïs s'en va-t-en guerre by Marion Gervais | Quark Productions

Anaïs is 24 years old. She lives alone in a small house in the middle of a field in Brittany. Nothing is stopping her, neither the administration, nor the misogynistic teachers, nor her broken down tractor, nor the vagaries of the weather. In keeping with her deep convictions, she is driven by her lifelong dream: that of becoming a farmer and growing aromatic and medicinal plants. The film accompanies this die-hard girl, (almost) alone against everybody else.

La tortue rouge by Michael Dudok de Wit | Studio Ghibli, ARTE, Wild Bunch

A man is stranded on a deserted tropical island. Alone, he must learn to survive thanks to nature, not always welcoming, with only birds and mischievous little crabs as his companions. However, as he tries to escape on his raft of misfortune, he meets a mysterious turtle that has emerged from the water. His life will change forever.

Check our full selection on the online library catalogue.

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