Earth Heroes: 20 Inspiring Stories of People Saving Our World

by Lily Dyu

When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it's easy to feel as if nothing you do can really make a difference . . . but this book proves that individual people can change the world. With twenty inspirational stories celebrating the pioneering work of a selection of Earth Heroes from all around the globe, from Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough to Yin Yuzhen and Isatou Ceesay, each tale is a beacon of hope in the fight for the future of our planet, proving that one person, no matter how small, can make a difference. Featuring Amelia Telford, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, Bittu Sahgal, Chewang Norphel, David Attenborough, Doug Smith, Ellen MacArthur, Greta Thunberg, Isabel Soares, Isatou Ceesay, Marina Silva, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, Mohammed Rezwan, Renee King-Sonnen, Rok Rozman, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Stella McCartney, William Kamkwamba, Yin Yuzhen and Yvon Chouinard. Featuring illustrations by Jackie Lay.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Middle Grade, Biography, Childrens, Science

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2019

Reviews

[✨ kathryn ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
(Note that this book is actually 242 pages long, but the only options on Goodreads mark it as 272 pages)
Such a humbling and inspiring book that's filled with compassion and anger (the good kind, though). Definitely hit my emotions quite hard - it's crazy to think about how little some people care for our planet and think that it's totally invincible. Could have easily continued reading about earth heroes for another 200 pages (hint hint Lily Dyu), but I'm feeling inspired to continue on my journey to a more ethical, plastic-free life now.

[Mrs Reddy Katzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

SECOND REVIEW: .. read this in just a morning, took notes to look up on the net later - am proudly passing it onto friends for their children who also have the Illustrated version. MY FAVOITE chapter is the one on a Chinese Woman planting trees to halt desertification in her area inspiring many many more tree growers !


FIRST REVIEW: I am on the verge of reading this Beautiful Fascinating book a second time ALREADY - this time with a pen and paper to take notes of names and charities so i can look them up on the internet ! This book should be in every childs collection to grow up with !!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Did you know that Sir David Attenborough will be 100 years old on May 8, 2026? It's fitting that he is the first entry in this collective biography of influential environmentalists, since he has worked so tirelessly to support green initiatives. In all, this book highlights 24 changemakers who are trying to make the world a better place.

There is a wide range of types of eco activism. Roz Rozman is working to protect rivers, Ellen McArthur is trying to make the sea sustainable, and surfers Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski are concerned with ocean pollution. People make change in many different ways: Stella McCartney is trying to make fashion sustainable, Isabel Soares is trying to stop food waste, and Doug Smith is concerned with saving wolves. There are stories from different parts of the world as well. Chewang Norphel is working in India to assure that everyone has access to water, Bittu Sahghal is trying to save Tigers in India, and sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen have addressed the use of plastic bags in Bali. It's good to see a range of ages as well; the Wijsen sisters and Greta Thunberg started working for their causes when young, and Yvon Couinard is still working with his company, Patagonia, to inform sustainable consumption at the age of 86.

Each person has about a ten page biography detailing a bit about their lives but concentrating about the various concerns they are addressing about the environment. This gives young readers a good introduction not only to the person, but also the different ways in which the world needs help. The final chapter of the book talks very briefly about what young readers can do to help as well. There are picture and quote credits, but no list of resources, which would have been helpful.

The format of this book reminded me of Freedman and Shilstone's 1961 Teenagers Who Made History, with photographs of the subjects embellished by artist Jackie Lay. The book is the size of a standard novel, and the biographies are straight text without insets, charts, graphs, or other illustrations. I would have appreciated the inclusion of more biographical information such as year of birth, and perhaps a quote from each person. This is a good springboard from students who want to learn more about environmentalists and fits in with books like Kirby's Old Enough to Save the Planet, Thimmesh and Sweet's Girls Solve Everything: Stories of Women Entrepreneurs Building a Better World, Alexander's Generation Brave: The Gen Z Kids Who Are Changing the World and Messner and Greenwood's History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment. I'd love to see a biography or Sir David Attenborough!

While this book will physically hold up better than some of the heavily illustrated collective biographies, it already feels dated. My readers are used to more illustrations, so this seems rather dry. The lack of dates for each person (even though these are easy to find online) is concerning, and the biographies didn't seem to be arranged in any particular order. It would have been nice to have included some maps, and I definitely would have liked a bibliography. I'll put this in my collection because we have teachers who assign biography projects on activists, but I'm not sure my middle school students would sit down and read the whole book for pleasure, which is a shame. There is another book by this author, Earth Heroes: 20 Inspiring Stories of People Saving Our World illustrated by Amy Blackwell that I may have to investigate.

[Jessica Rix · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was quite boring and I didn't really like it.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating coverage of 20 people who have dedicated their lives to saving the environment through active and committed action. Areas of interest are widespread - from animal conversation to dealing with pollution, problem solving the effects of a changing climate, and standing up to corporations and governments to drive change.
this collection of nonfiction stories of people who ahve and who are currently tackling world problems is written in clear and accessible prose. Each hero is introduced with a black and white illustration and quote and a byline that captures the focus of the activism.
For example:
Greta Thunburg: “We can’t save the world by playing by the rules … the rules have to change.”
Amelia Telford: “Imagine a world where the lives of all people are valued equally … to change everything, we need everyone.”
William Kamkwamba: “The climate crisis will not be solved by a single big idea. It will be solved by everyday people working both on their own and together.”
There is a good representation of the famous people that many young readers will be familiar with and others not so well known - people making a difference and fighting for the survival of our planet

This is an inspiring collection with a clear message to the youth of the world that the future is in their hands and every action can make a difference. This positive stance is very important to engage our youth in climate change issues from a problem solving perspective rather than one of despair. Note that a more recent edition has been published in a picture book format with colored pages and illustrations which does make the quite dense coverage easier to digest.

[Dana Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains the stories of people who are trying to change the world by helping the environment, fighting climate change and campaigning for a better tomorrow. My class have really enjoyed finding out about the different people in the book and their stories
They were also shocked by how young some of the people were when they first made a difference

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories about 20 people who are making important efforts on behalf of our Earth, trying their best in different ways to protect what we have and improve what has been damaged. Overall this is an upbeat, positive look at what people are doing to take better care of our world and bring about meaningful change. Uplifting and hopeful. We need more people like those portrayed here.

[Anna Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational stories from people around the world helping to save the planet. I really enjoyed this and was introduced to a lot of new figures I hadn’t heard of before. A lot of the people making changes are young which I think will be very inspiring for students.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book which neatly summarises the efforts of some remarkable people in a very accessible way. It’s a perfect ‘coffee table book’ which can inspire a reader in the space of five minutes and would be well placed in libraries, schools and waiting rooms across the globe.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! So inspiring! I’m planning to use it with my students.

[Lily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is inspirational to say the least

[Cyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a book to inspire my 11 year old cousin to be an Earth Hero. Its worked on me, so fingers crossed

[TheSalmaZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What incredible stories! Very inspiring and lovely to read.