New book focuses on Mister Rogers, environment
Two professors from St. Vincent College have published a book that focuses on the environmentalism of 鈥淢ister Rogers鈥� Neighborhood.鈥�
鈥淭he Green Mister Rogers: Environmentalism in Mister Rogers鈥� Neighborhood,鈥� written by Dr. Sara Lindey and Dr. Jason King, delves into the program鈥檚 1990 themed week, 鈥淐aring for the Environment.鈥�
The authors examined Fred Rogers鈥� ecological imagination by looking at his television program, as well as papers from seminary school, his sermons and his lectures. They studied his use of art, music, puppets, crafts and story to show how Rogers reminds us that when we care for the environment, we care for each other and even ourselves.
The 鈥淐aring for the Environment鈥� themed week coincided with the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, which is also when the event went international for the first time with events being held in more than 140 nations. Over the course of five episodes, all written and produced by Rogers, the Neighborhood of Make-Believe finds itself at the center of a trash catastrophe.
From the book鈥檚 description, throughout the week, 鈥淩ogers advances an environmentalism for children that secures children in their family homes while extending their perspective to faraway places, from the local recycling center to Florida鈥檚 coral reef. 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 is circulated in networks of care. Ultimately, Rogers cultivates a practical wisdom that provides a way for children to confront the environmental crisis through action and hope and, in doing so, develop into adults who possess greater care for the environment and a capacious imagination for solving the ecological problems we face.鈥�
鈥淔red Rogers was a creative genius,鈥� said Lindey, 鈥渁nd we hope our book does justice to his artistry.鈥�
Lindey is a professor of English and teaches widely in American literature, including traditional surveys and canonical periods as well as women鈥檚 literature and environmental literature.
King is a professor of theology and the Irene S. Taylor Endowed Chair for Catholic Family Studies. King holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Berea College, while he holds a master鈥檚 and Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America. He joined the Saint Vincent College faculty in 2005 and his courses taught include Aliens, Monsters, Heroes and Jesus; Catholic Marriage; Ethics of Aquinas; God, Work and Money and Theology of Children.
The Fred Rogers Center on the Saint Vincent College Campus will present a webinar on Thursday, May 26, featuring Lindey and King in conversation with Dr. Dana Winters, the Rita McGinley Endowed Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Institute for Early Learning and Children鈥檚 Media, and Dr. Junlei Li, co-chair of the Human Development and Education Program and the Saul Zaentz senior lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the Harvard Graduated School of Education. The webinar is free and open to the public, but those wishing to attend must register for the webinar by visiting https://us06web.zoom.us/鈥�/reg鈥�/WN_UQQSHtwsQTmzb82Wviz7PA.
Lindey and King have previously co-authored an article titled 鈥淢ister Rogers鈥� Environmentalism: Children鈥檚 Spirituality in a Trash Apocalypse,鈥� which appeared in the International Journal of Children鈥檚 Spirituality, as well as a chapter in 鈥淢ister Rogers and Philosophy,鈥� titled 鈥淧uppets are People, Too.鈥�
鈥淭he Green Mister Rogers鈥� may be purchased from wherever books are sold or by visiting https://www.upress.state.ms.us/鈥�/T/The-Green-Mister-Rogers. Through May 9th, both the hardcover and paperback editions of the book will be on sale for 40% through the University of Mississippi Press鈥� website.