environmental demands of a growing world population” (p.31). For this, an eco-justice
curriculum needs to emphasize on self-limitation for future generations. However it is not a type
of self-limitation that “undermines the student’s well-being; rather it represents an expansion of
relationships and opportunities to develop personal talents that can further enrich the
community” (p.32).
THROUGH WHICH BOOKS?
Above three areas were discussed as the key concepts of EJ education. These areas,
thus, can guide the contents of children’s literature with EJ themes. There are many books on
environmental issues for children. Researcher selected two or three exemplary books for EJ
teaching based on Bowers’s eco-justice themes.
Environmental Racism and Class Discrimination
The Great Kapok Tree (Lynne Cherry 1990). It is a story of the Amazon rain forest.
There were two men in the forest. Larger man told small man to cut the tree, and then he left.
When a small man try to cut the kapok tree, all living things come to him and explain why he
must stop cutting the tree. Here, larger man may represent developed countries which need