WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 63Review_CHILDREN’S
tones. Then, “on every continent, millions join together, in
quiet celebration, to turn out their lights.... Yet this one
hour a year isn’t enough.” Closing notes more clearly explain
Earth Hour’s origin, meaning, and purpose, and amplify
the text’s call to collective action: “Alone we are one.../ but
together we have power./ United, we are Earth Hour.” Ages
3–7. (Jan.)
The Mess That We Made
Michelle Lord, illus. by Julia Blattman. Flashlight, $18.95 (32p)
ISBN 978-1-947277-14-4
Riffing on “The House That Jack Built,” Lord crescendos
cause and effect to show how human actions harm the ocean:
“We are the people at work and at play/ that stuff the landfill,
growing each day/ that spills the plastic thrown away,/ that
traps the turtle, green and gray.” Blattman’s colorful, detailed
illustrations show children peering into a swirling oceanic
soup of plastic fragments where ghost nets and plastic bags
entangle seals, whales, and turtles. Midway through, the
narrative pivots: “BUT... we are the ones who can save the
day.” Lord lists positive actions, using the same rhythms to
build to a triumphant conclusion: “We protest the boat of
welded steel,/ collect the nets/ and free the seal, that eats the
fish.../ that swims in the ocean that WE save!” Though the
illustrations move quickly from cataclysm to all-cleaned-up,
many are realistically chilling. Substantial supplemental
information explains landfills and oceanic pollution and
suggests more ways to help. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
Planet SOS: 22 Modern Monsters
Threatening Our Environment
(and What You Can Do to Defeat Them!)
Marie G. Rohde. What on Earth, $24 (60p) ISBN 978-1-912920-22-8
This ambitious exploration of environmental threats,
including smog, deforestation, and oil spills, characterizes
each as a vanquishable monster. In 22 first-person passages,
Rohde employs the voice of each “crea-
ture,” clarifying the monstrous nature of
oft-imperceptible threats. “Smogosaurus”
is “built out of tiny particles that hover
in clouds over your cities” and reacts to
“improving public transportation and
bike lanes.” For every entry, one bottom
corner features a Monster Card, listing
actions that can shrink the monsters, such as proper recy-
cling practices, eating less meat, and traveling by train
instead of airplane; the other corner features a corresponding
mythological creature. Rohde’s textural digital art ensures
there is plenty to look at on each oversize page. While this
compendium is text-heavy, clear prose and character cards
offer a novel way to encourage environmentalism. Ages
8–12. (Apr.)Our Environment: Everything You Need to Know
Jacques Pasquet, illus. by Yves Dumont. Owlkids, $18.95 (56p)
ISBN 978-1-77147-389-7
In this useful resource, Pasquet concisely yet comprehen-
sively explains the significance of five “essential” environ-
mental elements—water, air, soil, energy, and climate—each
of which receive a chapter detailing their importance to
humans (In “Air”: “Humans, like all mammals, need to
breathe in oxygen to turn the energy stored in our food into
energy we can use to make our bodies work”). Threats to each
element (“greenhouse gases”) are dispassionately presented
alongside broad-stroke solutions (“reduce our energy con-
sumption”), and a variety of phenomena are clearly explained,
including the hydrologic cycle, atmospheric pressure, and
climate zones. Throughout, specific concepts (ozone layer,
greenhouse effect) are bolded, indicating that fuller defini-
tions are available in a glossary. A closing section titled “The
Future” calls out positive environmental actions occurring
around the globe, from community gardens in Detroit to
solar energy in the Philippines. Dumont’s colorful illustra-
tions adroitly combine visual information with appealingly
stylized people, animals, and landscapes. Ages 9–12. (Mar.)★ One Earth:
People of Color Protecting Our Planet
Anuradha Rao. Orca, $24.95 paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-4598-1886-6
In this series of profiles, Rao, a conservation biologist who
notes that “at work, I’ve usually been the only one with a
brown face,” centers the stories of 20 environmental activists,
all people of color. Rao’s prose is plain, but the activists’
stories are extraordinary, from Dipani
Sutaria’s quest to encourage the study
and protection of India’s Irrawaddy
dolphins, to Ghanimat Azhdari’s use
of mapping as a tool for empowering
Iran’s nomadic tribes, to Lucassie
Arragutainaq’s work using traditional
Inuit and Cree knowledge in environ-
mental assessments. Throughout, the
activists’ culture and backgrounds are presented as invaluable
assets that have given them authority to act and the ability to
bridge differences. Photographs, facts, and calls to action
enliven the text; bolded terms (“social justice,” “unceded”)
appear in a glossary. Taken together, it’s a powerful answer to
Rao’s framing questions: “Who is an environmental defender?
What does she or he look like? Maybe like you. Maybe like me.”
Ages 12–up. (Apr.)