Hoot: A Movie Challenge for Stewardship in Our Own Backyards
by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D.

The heavens declare the glory of God, the psalmist tells us. Paul explains that creation displays God's power. But Richard Louv, noted authority on children and the out of doors, reports that our kids are losing touch with nature. In a culture filled with innumerable electronic and entertainment distractions, and also one seemingly bent on developing everything or placing off-limits any interaction with the wild, it is nature that is quickly becoming unreal. It's something to watch on the Discovery Channel. A mediated world loses some of its magnificence.

At a time in which evangelical leaders are putting themselves forward to tackle global environmental concerns, it seems a small thing to care about your own backyard. But when I was a kid, that patch of trees with a pond in the middle that sometimes iced over a bit, even in the mild Southern California winter, was the closest thing to heaven to me. That is why I was intrigued when I discovered that Walden Media and New Line were making a film adaptation of Hoot. the rest of the review here