Greening of Books : Writers and publishers of children’s literature are turning their efforts toward environmental themes.

School is starting and it’s time for kids to hit the books again. A favorite topic for non-textbook reading seems to be the environment, inasmuch as it involves animals and the outdoors young people would rather be in.

Local librarians and booksellers have noticed this trend. Here are some examples they gave me of titles popular with kids. Adults reading this column may find something here for a birthday gift. And younger readers might find an idea for a book report or science project.

Jody Fickes, the proprietor of Adventure For Kids, a children’s bookstore in Ventura, immediately recommended “Brother Eagle, Sister Sky,” by Susan Jeffers. The book is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the well-known meditation on nature usually attributed to Chief Seattle.

In recommending the book, Fickes echoed the sentiments of the American Booksellers Assn. because this book won that group’s “Abby” award.

“It’s the title booksellers selected most often when customers asked us to recommend a good book,” Fickes explained. “It’s the top award the ABA gives in any category. It means that’s the book we’re most happy to be selling, period.”

The Oxnard Public Library’s children’s division is similarly supportive of the Jeffers book. It was the first title that Loren Kramer mentioned when I phoned to see what was going on in his part of the county.

He then conducted a professional examination of his records and determined that an environmental book checked out even more often was “The Great Kapok Tree,” by Lynne Cherry. This book about the rain forest is also a favorite at the Thousand Oaks Public Library. Another Lynne Cherry book, “The River Ran Wild,” just came out and is in great demand locally, days after a New York Times review.

The Ventura County Library’s 16 branches have a hit in the novel, “Who Really Killed Cock Robin? An Ecological Mystery,” by Jean George.

Children’s Service specialist Sarah Ellinwood mentioned the George book and went on to discuss a few books that should appeal to the younger, Sesame Street-aged crowd.

“Let’s Talk Trash,” by Kelly McQueen snagged my attention. And “Down the Drain: Explore Your Plumbing,” by Yardley Thompson seems a book suited for the spirit of the ‘90s.

As you can see, these recycling books provide the folks who think up titles a chance to show their stuff. “Trash Attack,” “What a Load of Trash,” and “A Worm’s Eye View” showed some imagination. But my favorite was “Recyclopedia.” This was a book that offers science experiments using trash.

Back at Fickes’ store, I saw a pop-up book on garbage with instructions like “turn a wheel or lift a flap to find out how garbage gets recycled.” The title on this marvel is “Where Does Our Garbage Go,” by Joan Bowden.

Animals and their plight in our endangered environment is another theme in children’s books. One ravishing picture book is “Think Like an Eagle, At Work With a Wildlife Photographer,” by Kathryn Lasky.

And over at Ventura Bookstore I saw “Extremely Weird Endangered Species,” by Sarah Lovett; “For Kids Who Love Animals: A Guide to Sharing the Planet,” by Linda Koebner with the ASPCA, and “Animals and Where they Live,” by John Feltwell.

Kent Weigel, one of Ventura Bookstore’s owners, said the Feltwell book is his most popular eco-kid book. He also showed me a book on environmental systems that’s been sitting on the shelf unsold for a long time, “How Do You Go to the Bathroom In Space?” by William Pogue, a retired astronaut.

Book publishers aren’t the only ones going “green” to attract young readers. Next week will see the publication of a special eco-edition of the new national weekly newspaper for kids, “Tomorrow’s News.”

I’ve seen a preview edition and spoke to the publishers, Adam Linter and Barbara Katz in their West Los Angeles offices. “We’ll always have environmental coverage,” said Linter, as he showed me a headline that read “Trees Are Worth Big Bucks.”

Local folks can subscribe by calling (800) AWARE-13. Even Linter’s phone number is catchy.