Ivy Green learned to love and respect nature when she grew up in Lemont, Illinois. She enjoys gardening, long walks, and watching the bees and butterflies who visit her native plants. She was introduced to community involvement at an early age and lives to inspire others to do what they can to make the world a better place.
Each season brought its own gifts. Spring brought a reawakening of the world with fresh scents and tender new growth. From the crocuses poking their purple heads up through the last snow to the green grass to the budding trees, the lengthening days welcomed back the birds from their winter homes. The baby rabbits and squirrels scampered in wonder at their new world.
The endless summer days started with feeding pets, sweeping, and other household chores. The rest of the day hosted a series of adventures, like bike rides through the farm country or to town, hikes in the woods, frog hunting in the pond, and swimming to beat the heat. Cowbells and triangles sounded to call kids in for dinner, and then everyone reconvened to play Red Rover, Tag, or Hide and Seek until the fireflies started sparkling in the evening sky.
In the fall, the neighborhood dogs dutifully walked their kids to the bus stop in the mornings and waited for them to come back in the afternoons. The tree canopy is a painted ceiling of red and gold leaves. When they turn brown, they blanket the forest floor with a crunchy ground cover, perfect for making piles to jump in. More than once, someone forgot that they had covered their little brother up and had to return to find him. Baseball switched to touch football as the pastime for the season.
The winter winds blew drifts against the tree line, making an excellent foundation for a snow fort. The piles often covered the narrow road. Until the snowplow arrived, toboggans and sleds ruled the hill on the empty street. The thrill grew as the snowpack iced over until it finally came to the last road on the route. Never fear, the fun moved to the pond at the bottom of the hill, where shovels and brooms cleared the way for skaters to show off their skills and perhaps a New Year’s Day hockey game. Before long, the ice melted, and the earth began to reawaken to a new spring.
Ivy Green is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators