The Goodness of Rain

P/B
ISBN 9780942702552

Developing an Ecological Identity in Young Children

We must discover our place in the natural world. Together.

To nurture ecological identity in young children, we invite them into relationship with the world beyond walls and with the creatures that live there. We invite them into ethical thinking anchored by the compassion that comes from caring and engaged relationships. We invite them to come home to the Earth, and to live honorably in that home.

Join author Ann Pelo on her year-long journey as she nurtures the ecological identity of a toddler and discovers for herself what it means to live in relationship with the natural world…

…delighting in discovery and adventure

…developing dispositions and skills for being in the out-of-doors

…learning when to speak and when to be still

…knowing joy, grief, reverence, astonishment, and gladness

…embracing the comradeship of fellow explorers.

When we turn towards the Earth with curiosity and sympathy, with humility and wonder, our lives fall into place — we fall into place. This is what it means to grow an ecological identity.

Each page reminds us that when we learn to live in a reverent relationship with nature, we will not allow it to be destroyed, but rather, bear joyful witness to the miracle of this planet and ally ourselves with it, to help life live.
– Margie Carter

“I do not know and cannot imagine a better or lovelier argument for taking our children OUT — and letting them take us too — from a very early age.”
– Robert Michael Pyle

“The story Ann tells so beautifully in The Goodness of Rain will touch your heart, your mind, and your soul. You’ll feel something shifting within you as you read this book, and you’ll begin to see rain and the rest of the natural world in a whole new way. The impact of the book is profound and something that will stay with you long after you read the last page.”
– Ruth Wilson