The Green Mister Rogers: Environmentalism in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Fred Rogers was a pioneer in children's television, advocate for families, and multimedia artist and performer. He wrote the television scripts and music, performed puppetry, sang, hosted, and directed Mister Rogers Neighborhood for more than thirty years. The Green Mister Rogers: Environmentalism in Mister Rogers Neighborhood focuses on the shows environmentalism, primarily expressed through his themed week Caring for the Environment, produced in 1990 in coordination with the twentieth anniversary of Earth Day. Rogers depicts animal wisdom and uses puppets to voice anxiety and hope and shows an interconnected world where each part of creation is valued and love circulates in networks of care. He cultivates practical wisdom that provides a way for children to confront the environmental crisis through action and hope and develop into adults who possess greater care for the environment and a capacious imagination for solving ecological problems.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 128 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Fred Rogers was an international icon, a trailblazer in children's television, a champion of families, and a multifaceted artist and performer. He crafted the television scripts, composed the music, brought puppets to life, sang, hosted, and directed Mister Rogers Neighborhood for over three decades. In his nearly nine hundred episodes, Rogers delved into profound themes such as divorce, death, war, sibling rivalry, disabilities, and racism. Supported by his remarkable emotional strength, intellectual and creative courage, and joyful spiritual confidence, Rogers approached his work with a direct, slow, gentle, and empathetic manner.

The Green Mister Rogers: Environmentalism in Mister Rogers Neighborhood explores the shows environmentalism, primarily showcased through the themed week Caring for the Environment, produced in 1990 in collaboration with the twentieth anniversary of Earth Day. Set against a trash crisis in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Rogers presents an environmentalism tailored for children, ensuring their safety within their family homes while broadening their horizons to distant lands, from the local recycling center to Florida's coral reef. Through his portrayal of animal wisdom and the use of puppets to express anxiety and hope, Rogers illustrates an interconnected world where every part of creation is valued and love circulates in networks of care. Ultimately, Rogers fosters a practical wisdom that empowers children to address the environmental crisis through action and hope, nurturing them into adults who possess a deep reverence for the environment and a boundless imagination for solving the ecological challenges we face.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496838674