Common Ground: The Water, Earth, and Air We Share
Grade 3-7.  Bang's small picture book is both simple and ambitious as it presents first a parable and then a string of analogies to raise awareness and provoke thought about the consequences of overusing natural resources. The opening story tells how the green common of a long-ago village quickly becomes overcrowded when too many sheep are sent to graze. Some people decide to stay and work out a plan, but others leave for greener pastures. Bang's paintings employ strong patterns and shades of color, clustering small, crudely sketched figures in naive perspective as the author explains how people today resemble the villagers in using up what they have. "Now our commons are our parks, reserves, and natural resources, and the waters and air of the whole world." She depicts fishermen catching as many fish as possible; lumber companies cutting trees; other companies and individuals using oil and gas and coal; and notes that we all "pump as much of our common water as we can." In each instance there is a short-term benefit and a long-term problem. It's a somber lesson: "One by one, we are destroying the natural resources that sustain our lives." Some scenes suffer from crammed design elements, but others readily command attention. The concluding pronouncement that "now we don't have anyplace else to go" should effectively spark discussion, individual research, and classroom projects.?Margaret Bush, Simmons College, BostonCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.