How You Can Save the Planet Hendrikus van Hensbergen, Puffin, 978-0241453049, £7.99 pbk
10
Hendrikus van Hensbergen is CEO of young environmental charity, Action for Conservation, which he founded after realising that no charities in the UK existed with the sole purpose of engaging young people in environmental action. Like his charity, his book speaks directly to young people and lets them know that, no matter how powerless and anxious they might feel, they’re not alone. It tells the stories of other young
people around the world who took matters into their own hands, made a difference and actually changed things for the better. Part manifesto, part operations manual, it’s full of hope and inspiration.
Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl who Went on Strike to Save the Planet Valentina Camerini, illus Veronica Carratello, translation Moreno Giovannoni, Simon & Schuster, 9781471190650, £6.99 From one set of inspiring young people to the one who has done most to put young peoples’ voices at the heart of efforts to protect our planet. This book tells Greta Thunberg’s story, explaining how a wary,
quiet girl
from Sweden found the courage and determination to stand up for what she
knows is crucial to the future of every one of us. Her story is unique, but it demonstrates again how together we can all make a difference, and work towards the future we want. In addition to Greta’s story, there’s a chapter explaining the science of global warming, notes on what we can do as individuals and suggestions for further reading.
Hope Jones Saves the World Josh Lacey, Andersen Press, 978-1783449279, £6.99
Fictional characters can do just as much to inspire readers into action, take Hope Jones for example. Like many ten-year olds she worries about the state of the environment, and about plastic pollution in particular. Her dad is always saying if you want something done, you have to do it yourself, so she sets about doing what she can. Her adventures are recounted via her lively blog and we get a ringside view of her peaceful protest
outside the local supermarket, interactions with local businesses, and conversations with neighbours, friends and parents of friends. As her campaign reaches more and more people, Hope realises that we can all make a difference, if we’re determined enough.
Be More Vegan Niki Webster, Welbeck Publishing, 978-1783125692, £14.99 hbk In the second book in the Hope Jones series, young Hope decides to turn vegan and this book could have been a real help. It’s full of tasty, faff-free vegan recipes, which are easy to follow, easy to make and certain to be a hit with everyone in the family, even dyed-in-the-wool carnivores. More than just a recipe book though, it’s also full of equally useful and appealing information
on the whys of being vegan. Niki Webster explains it all in a way that feels friendly and do-able, making sure to answer FAQs on getting enough protein and vitamins as well as on the best vegan substitutes, and laying out clearly, but with a sense of passion, why veganism is about more than just food and diet.
Be the Change Poems to Help You Save the World Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow, Roger Stevens, Macmillan Children’s Books, 9781529018943, £5.99? Poetry has the power to change the world too and this might be the book to do it. Alongside poems on the many threats to the environment and the natural world are poems that
pose
‘tricky questions’ about how we choose to live. There are poems to make children laugh, to inspire and inform them; above all here are poems that will
provoke a reaction. It might be something practical, like deciding to change the contents of your lunchbox, or it might mean making a change to the way you understand the world. It ends with Liz Brownlee’s quiet but powerful poem ‘Snow’, a beautiful example of how the smallest things can effect change.
How to Change Everything Naomi Klein with Rebecca Stefoff, Puffin, 978-0241492918, £12.99 hbk
It’s possible to build a better future, says this
book, if we’re willing to change
everything. The book poses three crucial questions: where are we now? How did we get here? What happens next? In tackling these it details well-known facts but also looks at some of the realities about climate change that we tend to ignore such as its disproportionate impact on poor communities and communities of colour.
With chapters on Hurricane Katrina, Indigenous people’s initiatives for change, and lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, Klein and Stefoff make a very solid case for changing everything and offer practical and realistic steps for doing so. Urgent, hard-hitting and serious, it shows young people what they’re capable of.
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