The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming

by Laurie David, Cambria Gordon

From the producer of An Inconvenient Truth comes a powerful, kid-friendly, and engaging book that will get kids get interested in the environment!

Irreverent and entertaining, Down to Earth is filled with fact about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities. Engagingly designed, Down to Earth will educate and empower, leaving readers with the knowledge they need to understand this problem and a sense of hope to inspire them into action.

Reading Level: Age 8 and Up

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Environment, Childrens, Middle Grade, Sustainability

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

For over a decade Laurie David has brought her passion and advocacy to a variety of important issues from global warming to America’s overconsumption of sugar to regenerative agriculture and the dangers of social media.

Laurie executive produced the Academy award-winning An Inconvenient Truth and other socially relevant docs including Fed Up, The Biggest Little Farm and most recently, The Social Dilemma.

Laurie has also written several cookbooks including The Family Cooks and The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids One Meal at a Time. Both books focus on healthy family dinners and importance of enjoying home-cooked meals together. She also coauthored the children’s book The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming, which has been published in over ten languages.

Laurie has received numerous awards and honors, including the Producers Guild of America’s Stanley Kramer Award, a Humanitas Prize Special Award and a Gracie Allen Award. Laurie’s environmental work has been honored with the prestigious Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award, the Feminist Majority’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, Bette Midler’s Green Goddess Award and the NRDC Forces for Nature award.

She lives in Massachusetts on a regenerative farm with her husband, a few cows, a flock of sheep and a dozen chickens. She grows lots of food including a lot of sweet potatoes. She expresses her daily frustrations on twitter. You can follow her @Laurie_David



On Twitter @Laurie_David

Reviews

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with some school-mom friends in preparation for Earth Day at our elementary school. I often appreciate non-fiction books aimed at young and middle-school age kids as the information is condensed, cuts to the chase, which can be a nice alternative to reading through paragraphs of extensive detail. Though global warming is a heavy, complex topic, the authors present the many aspects of it with easy-to-read graphs, engaging cartoons, relevant statistics, and captivating photographs (of both sweet things like whales and polar bears, and devastating images like aerial views of a flooded town, or toppled homes after a tornado).

Most importantly, the book offers hope and inspiration with many suggestions for how to be proactive, get involved, and empower ourselves to make changes. If kids (the book is aimed at kids but it applies to all of us, of course) each implement small and steady changes (at home, in their schools and communities), we/they can make a difference. (For example: "If every kid in America swapped one regular bulb for a compact fluorescent, we could prevent more than 30 billion pounds...of greenhouse gas emissions and save enough energy to light more than 15 million homes for an entire year. It would be like taking 14 million cars off the road." p. 75). The book encourages the reader to write letters, organize with friends and neighbors, get involved. Kids have a voice and can take a stand. We're all in this together, and together we can make a difference.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very educational book and I learned a lot about global warming after reading it. I learned the causes of global warming, the effects of it, and how the effects can be reduced. I recommend this book to people who are interested in learning about global warming and for educational purposes to people who are in middle school. This book wasn't just some boring book but was actually very fun to read because it is meant for middle schoolers. I now understand everything about global warming and why it's such an important topic to learn about. This is the best resource someone should use when trying to learn about global warming because it includes anything there is to know about global warming.

[Andi M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breathtakingly wonderful book about global warming. While this book is marketed to children, it was incredibly informative for this adult. Could not recommend this one more.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go Green Everybody! Some of this stuff is really interesting, not to mention destructive.

[Elan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those who want to teach children about taking care of the earth.It's also a great book for any adult wanting to find out more on the facts of global warming.

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still relevant given the current state of planet Earth and the global warming we are all experiencing despite being published in 2007. The basic facts, definitions, science, and call to action are still true, although the political state of environmental laws and initiatives is outdated, as are some of the celebs quoted. I liked the many photographs and illustrations. I also saw that there is a listing of the references used, as well as an acknowledgement of the loan of photos by the International League of Conservation Photographers. It reads like a magazine for elementary schoolers and middle schoolers, and that is who I am giving the book to.

[Alex Onslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

grade: 4-12

Pretty cool, straight to the point, book about how global warming is affecting Earth and how we as humans can change what we do to improve the world, and decrease global warmings effects.

Focus: global warming, weather, earth

[Diana V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: General Nonfictional - Informational Book
Lexile level: 1000-1090 L (Grade Equivalent 7.6) Middle School Grades

Organization: “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” is organized in four chapters: 1. It’s Getting Hot in Here, 2. Weird, Wacky Weather 3. Extinction Stinks, and 4. What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming. As a whole, each chapter is filled with scientific facts about global warming and its disastrous consequences.

Unique Features: Relevant and entertaining, “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” has numerous photos and illustrations, engaging questions, and a list of words to know, web sites to check out, and suggestions for further reading. Additionally, this informative guide includes suggestions for how students can help combat global warming in their homes, schools, and communities.

Main Ideas:
Environmental Studies
Global Warming

Recommended: I would recommend “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” to middle grade teachers and parents because students should be informed of current world issues that affect our present and future. Through its cartoonist, yet realistic design, “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” will educate and empower students.

Personal Reaction: Reading “The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming” was thought provoking and hopeful. Although global warming is a complex scientific topic, the authors simplify it with relevant statistics, interactive questions, easy-to-read graphs, and engaging cartons. Overall, I was left with the necessary knowledge to understand global warming and a sense of hope to make changes in our environment.

Satisfying Concluding Statement: The world needs conscious children and adults.

[Graham Lazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by the producer of the seminal 2007 documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth," this text has positioned itself as a go-to late elementary informational resource for children and classroom teachers on what is likely the defining challenge of our time. The text is structured around 4 Chapters: "It's Getting Hot in Here" (causes of Global Warming), "Weird Wacky Weather" (effects of Global Warming), "Extinction Strikes" (effects of Global Warming), and finally "What You Can Do" (a call to action).

This text provides a great survey of the science, explaining the causes of industrialization, human consumption of fossil fuels, greenhouse gasses, and carbon emissions, as well as the effects (extreme weather and extinction). This text would provide a great read-aloud text for a CORE or social studies lesson within a greater unit on environmental ethics. In particular the book's text features, photographs, and diagrams are well done, and will help elementary-age kids build their schema about the causes and effects of global warming, as well as offers a call to action for children to participate in problem solving!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the topic of Global Warming, aimed at elementary aged readers. It's very eye catching, with plenty of color graphics--which are printed using soy-based ink on recycled paper. Each of the concepts, from the specific chemistry, to the causes, to the solutions, are explained in funny and easy to understand metaphors. There were a couple of areas I wish could have been fleshed out a bit more. For instance, Ethanol and Flex Fuel vehicles are presented as a great alternative to traditional combustion engines. However, non of the negatives associated with Ethanol are discussed. But, then again, it is a children's book and in order to keep it under a 1000 pages, some things have to be glossed over. I hope that parents and educators will be able to engage their children in a discussion about these topics.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for introducing children to the ideas behind why scientists think global warming is happening and the results of this shift in global temperatures. The jokes and images will help to keep children drawn in. Although there were a few parts where I wished a little extra was added (i.e. some additional comments on natural climate change vs. human-caused; including numbers on a laughable line graph that apparently shows causality), most of the book provides just enough to give readers some knowledge on a wide swath of topics without going too in-depth. Readers who do enjoy this book will hopefully delve into some of the resources recommended in the book and make some changes in their own lives.

[Mao Mao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Global warming is a big problem with plants and animals. It causes hurricanes that are more fierce, more floods, more droughts, and more whacky weather. It causes northern creatures to move toward the North Pole, and southern creatures to move toward the South Pole. But where will creatures that already live near the north and south poles go? The answer is to die. A lot of animals are pushed to extinction because of global warming. So what can you do? You can use only skin bags when you go to the grocery store. Paper bags are made from trees, and trees absorb CO2, so don't use too much paper. Plastic bags can't break down, so it litters the ground of the dump. Now a company in Colorado had began to make renewable plastic.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I've read reviews that criticize one of the charts in this book as being inaccurate, I still think this book provides an accessible information on global warming for kids. The authors include many colorful photographs and pictures to illustrate their point. They discuss issues with global warming that are certain to be of interest to kids, such as animals going extinct and ways that kids can help combat global warming. Sidebars add interesting facts to accompany the text. A list of recommended books and websites for further reading is included, as are source notes and an index.

[Samantha Howard]

This is a non-fiction book about global warming. Depending on the depth of lesson and teacher involvement, this book can be used for 2nd graders up to 4th graders. It is an informational text because it’s primary goal is to be a source of information to the reader. This book can be used in a science class, as a part of a unit about human’s impact on the Earth. However, it is important to note that this subject can be controversial, so it will be important for me to present the proven facts on the topic, rather than force opinions onto the students.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect balance of facts and content that will keep you interested. I'm not a big fan of science, but this book made me really concerned about global warming. It has a very good effect on people. This book is great for teaching kids about the dangers our planet faces without scaring them about it. But it also educates them so that they can make a difference in the future. I recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about climate change and to young readers(elementary age) who want to make a difference.

[Todd Freer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters include:
1. It's getting hot in here
2. Weird, Wacky Weather
3. Extinction Stinks
4. What You Can Do to Stop Global Warming

Jobs are convenient and can be done individually or as a groups (family, classroom, etc.) though they are intended for kids to read, comprehend, and act on.

[Vanessa Peavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book to use for Earth Day lessons. This is a good non-fiction book for students in younger grades as well as middle grades. This book reads a little differently from other non-fiction books, in the sense that it's not extensive, rather straightforward. It is very kid friendly and a fun read about a topic that is so controversial.

[Astra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about global warming and how we can stop it. I learned what a carbon footprint is (and what it is not). What it is not is when you stick your foot in a bucket of oil and step on a white rug.

[Werereadingandwriting · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a 2 CD set. I am interested in Global Warming but this just couldn't hold my attention. I tried and tried. Anyway, I didn't finish the first CD. May try again but won't knock myself out to do so.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book uses a lot of "jokes" to try to appeal to its young readers, but those tend to make it hard for my students. Still, since the content is good, I may use excerpts with my tenth and eleventh graders when we study climate change and alternative energy.

[☆☆lauren is finally 14☆☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERYONE HAS TO READ THIS BOOK IF THEY CARE ABOUT THE ENVIORNMENT!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, so good. A great way for kids to learn about global warming. Sorta funny, too.

[Nicole Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good book for kids and it gives you a simple understanding of global warming. The layout of the book is also very creative, and it is printed on 100% recycled paper!

[Jen Johnson]

Smart and spot on. Kids will enjoy learning where their earth is turing!

[Angelica705]

This book was detailed,well illistrated and explained.I know understand the cinseot and consiquences if global warming.

[Barbara Atlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all so sad.

[704Mei Luan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite informative if you ask me.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is cool

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot of essays

[Ecsf]

recommended by Courtney Anderson