With a gorgeous textile cover in soft blues and aquas, open the book to learn about climate change in a welcoming, encouraging and supportive way.
This book is fabulous. It steps out exactly what climate change is, explaining the Earth’s atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases and what it all means for our planet.
There’s so much to learn in this book, and author Carole Wilkinson presents it so wonderfully.
Coal, oil and gas are all explained, including where they come from and how they impact the earth. Renewable energies are explored, global warming and its consequences are explained and there’s heaps of facts about different kinds of waste (aluminium, plastic, glass and batteries).
There’s a lot to take in, but Wilkinson’s gentle and honest approach is really engaging, and every word has been presented with kids in mind. Big concept words are highlighted, and you can look them up in the glossary at the back. Information is presented in bite-sized chunks, allowing kids to really think about and absorb the information before moving on. A lot of care has gone into the creation of this book and it shows.
But this isn’t a book that only provides a discussion point for the ways in which our planet is hurting. There is hope in this book in the form of ideas and inspiration for taking steps to make a difference. And it’s simple stuff. Things kids and families can do to reduce their household carbon footprint today (carbon footprint is also explained!). Turn off lights, walk or ride, buy less stuff, reuse things and be careful about what you put in the garbage bin.
This would be a brilliant book for classrooms to study and for setting challenges for kids to help the planet. It’s the perfect size, with the perfect balance of information.
Add in Hilary Cresp’s illustrations, too, and wow! What more can you ask for? The beautiful colours from the cover are repeated throughout the book — all beautiful earthy colours to remind us of the beauty of our home. The illustrations are funky and fresh, bringing fun to the reading experience.
Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet ticks every box for a perfect non-fiction read for kids. Everything inside the glorious covers has been designed just for kids and the result is a beautiful and engaging book that entertains, educates and inspires kids to take action.
Title: Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Illustrator: Hilary Cresp
Publisher: Wild Dog Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 29 March 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742036014
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction