by Pat Thomas

A first look at setting a good example.

This delightful picture book explores what it means to set a good example. Discussion boxes offer an adult opportunities to discuss the issues directly with their child audience. Charmingly clear illustrations give readers immediate access to complex situations and feelings and provide further stimulus for discussion. Notes for teachers and parents, plus suggested further resources, help adults to make the most of the learning opportunities inherent in the book. Available in hardback and paperback.

Buy it here.

by Pat Thomas

A first look at respect for others.

Children learn that having respect means treating everyone fairly. But there are some types of respect that each person must earn for themselves–by keeping promises, by being honest in what they say and do, and being polite and respectful to others. Most important of all, boys and girls learn that people who are different deserve just as much respect as close friends. This new title in Barron’s growing series of “A First Look at . . . ” books is written especially for preschool and early-grades children.

Books in this series feature sensitively written stories that encourage boys and girls to explore their feelings, face new challenges in their lives, and talk to trusted elders about how to deal with things that bother them. The books feature child-friendly colour illustrations on every page. An advice to parents section appears at the end. Available in hardback and paperback.

Buy it here.

by Pat Thomas

A first look at not giving up.

This delightful picture book helps children to understand why it is rewarding to persevere with a task. Most of us don’t get things right the first time, but it’s good not to give up. Young children can discover how learning to do new things, with a little patience and practice, can make life more interesting. Discussion boxes offer an adult opportunities to discuss the issues directly with their child audience. Charmingly clear illustrations give readers immediate access to complex situations and feelings and provide further stimulus for discussion. Notes for teachers and parents, plus suggested further resources, help adults to make the most of the learning opportunities inherent in the book. Available in hardback or paperback.

Buy it here.

by Pat Thomas

A first look at being brave.

This delightful picture book explores what it means to be brave. Young children can discover that there are many ways of being brave, from standing up for yourself or others, to trying new things.

Discussion boxes offer an adult opportunities to discuss the issues directly with their child audience.Charmingly clear illustrations give readers immediate access to complex situations and feelings and provide further stimulus for discussion.

Notes for teachers and parents, plus suggested further resources, help adults to make the most of the learning opportunities in the book. Available in hardback and paperback.

Buy it here.

by Pat Thomas

Stuffed presents a global perspective on food production and agriculture and proposes a sustainable and fairly traded path we can follow to secure food for all and protection for the planet. With chapters on your kitchen through to global systems via your garden, schools, community, and a insight into food issues in cities and on farms, Stuffed takes a political and personal look the way that food systems influence, and can be influenced by, our choices.

Written by Pat Thomas (former editor of The Ecologist), it features a preface by Michael Pollan, (The Omnivores dilemma, and In defense of Food) and with contributing essays by respected experts, Monty Don, Geetie Singh, Jeanette Orrey, Rob Hopkins, Carolyn Steel, Peter Melchett, Patrick Holden, Vandana Shiva and Eric Schlosser.

No longer available.

editor: Eileen Daniel; contributors: Pat Thomas and others

Taking Sides volumes, published by McGraw Hilll, present current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Each issue is thoughtfully framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript or challenge questions.

This edition features the article by Pat Thomas Suck on This, which first appeared in the May 2006 edition of the Ecologist

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by Pat Thomas

The essential guide to what’s in the toiletries and cosmetics you use.

We all like to believe that the latest ‘miracle’ cream will make us look ten years younger, and we fill our shopping baskets with hair products designed to ‘smooth and shine’ or make-up that promises to stay on all night long. In a world that is increasingly obsessed with appearance, we are becoming more and more vulnerable to the idea of a ‘quick-fix’ in a bottle.

Yet many of the products we use on a daily basis contain an abundance of synthetic chemicals that pollute our bodies and, as our toxic load increases, many of us hoping for a quick-fix miracle today will be paying with our health tomorrow.

In this fascinating, topical and sometimes shocking book, Pat Thomas explains how the contents of the beauty products we use enter the bloodstream in a matter of seconds, and contain a cocktail of carcinogens, irritants and disease-causing ingredients.

She discusses the health risks of exposure to these chemicals and tells you which ones to avoid. But it’s not all doom and gloom – with her practical, easy suggestions, tips and recipes for alternatives, she tells us how we can all make a few simple changes to our lifestyle and reduce our toxic load.

Buy it here.

by Pat Thomas

The essential guide to raising a toxin-free baby. 

The greatest gift parents can give their children is good health, but babies and small children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental pollution.

In this practical and wide-ranging book, Ecologist editor Pat Thomas gives every parent the information they need to reduce the level of toxins and unnecessary chemicals that their baby is exposed to, from conception through to birth and beyond.

The book covers everything today’s well-informed parents are concerned about – from the importance of a healthy diet and cutting down on toxic toiletries in pregnancy to advice on reading the label on baby products and finding and choosing alternatives to plastic toys.

In this fascinating, topical and sometime shocking book, Pat Thomas lifts the lid on the advice, guidelines and products all parents are advised to follow or use on their babies and provides practical, easy suggestions and tips and advice on realistic alternatives. She discusses the health risks of exposure to toxins in the womb and after your baby is born and tells us how we can all make changes to our lifestyle and reduce the risk for ourselves and our children.

Buy it here.

A first look at allergies.

By Pat Thomas

This story reassures kids who suffer from allergies, letting them know that they aren’t alone. They learn the value of avoiding contact with certain materials and staying away from certain foods that trigger allergic reactions in their bodies. Most important, they learn that allergies can be coped with and their effects minimized. 

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A first look at healthy teeth.

By Pat Thomas

A visit to the dentist can be a scary experience for younger children. This good-humoured story emphasizes the dentist’s role as a friend and advisor who ensures that boys and girls have healthy teeth and attractive smiles.

Buy it here.