An inspiring look at young climate change activists who are changing the world The world is facing a climate crisis like we’ve never seen before. And kids around the world are stepping up to raise awareness and try to save the planet. As people saw in the youth climate strike in September 2019, kids will not stay silent about this subject—they’re going to make a change. Meet 12 young activists from around the world who are speaking out and taking action against climate change. Learn about the work they do and the challenges they face, and discover how the future of our planet starts with each and every one of us.
September 20, 2020 Such great art. Each page is filled with all the shades of green and with all the ugliness that pollution is bringing to this beautiful world. It's so visually direct that the few lines written on every sheet of this picture book resonates the same message with more and more voice: 'the young are old enough to save the planet'. Also, there's some diversity being projected through different countries being portrayed, including India, and that's something I do appreciate.
3.5 STARS I really loved some of this book. One of my pet peeves with environmental picture books is that they lay this huge burden at the feet of children without providing the children with any actionable ideas to help. This book proper shows children themselves coming up with and implementing ideas to help the planet in various ways, all around the world, from community gardens in France to traffic pollution in India to campaigning against poachers in South Africa to water ecology in China and more. The illustrations and information provided in each spread are engaging and suitable for the younger elementary set -- nothing overly doom-and-gloom. Even my sensitive six-year-old enjoyed it and felt inspired. However, I do feel there is perhaps a slight disconnect as the main portion of the book seems geared for early elementary readers yet most of the children in the book are upper elementary or even middle school age so some of this is probably beyond what a young child could achieve at their present age, though certainly they can feel inspired and learn about the problems and steps they could take to help in their own sphere. But, the back matter also seems geared for older kids, probably those who would consider themselves beyond a “picture book” as it has some rather advanced ideas for how you can help save the planet as well as "Ten things you can do to make your voice heard." Here is where the book breaks down a bit, IMO, given the target audience because many of the suggestions are just way beyond what your average six or even seven-year-old is capable of doing. I appreciate many of the ideas, but I just don't think a lot of kids are going to be able to do these things on their own: they cannot choose to walk instead of riding a bus or car, they cannot choose to eat more locally grown seasonal produce, they cannot choose whether they travel by airplane. And, I really don't think most kids just learning to read and write are going to write to newspapers or representatives or gather friends to make a protest or make a petition. Also, just very personally here, I do not like the suggestion for children to focus more on the news: “watch listen and read as much as you can to stay informed.” There are actually studies showing that too much news can be bad for your health (this goes for adults, not just kids). This doesn’t mean all kids have to be totally ignorant of current events or ways to help, but consider how to present current events in a developmentally appropriate way rather than just turning on the nightly news*. In any case, I hope young children have a voice within the family to share the suggested presented in the book with caring adults who might be able to help them or the family make these changes or implement these suggestions, but I do wish there were more suggestions that children could do all on their own. I'd probably give four stars to the story proper though the overall presentation did give me some qualms. (*I also really dislike the bullet points on the back of the book listing reasons kids are good activists: "I care enough to watch the news." Actually, some children (and adults) may be very sensitive and caring to the point it is actually detrimental for them to watch the news. Maintaining ones own mental health is vital if one is to be able to help others) https://theconversation.com/disaster-...)
Both my 6-yr-old Riley and 3-yr-old Ethan sat through the entire book. Yes, my 3yr-old was mainly interested in the beautiful pictures, but my 6-yr-old appeared to be paying attention to the words. As we read each child’s story I tried to expand on the topics e.g. discussing with Riley why bees were so important, why plastic in the ocean was so bad and how his school also has a compost plan in place just like the school in the book.
Old Enough to Save the Planet is physically beautiful, a real feast for the eyes. Each child’s story takes up a full colour extremely detailed double page spread. After we read the story and discussed it for a bit, to keep younger Ethan entrained we counted how many rhinos, or bees, or butterflies, or watering cans etc. were on the page and just admired the artwork a little longer before turning to the next story.
I think this book is a fantastic way to open up important discussions with children about simple things we can all do to look after our planet. At the end of the book are suggestions for things we can all do at home and a list of websites with resources for doing so and continuing on the discussion of ideas covered in this book. I’ll definitely be reading it with My boys again.
Fantastic, inspirational book to engage and inspire children to be active in making a difference. This tells the story of 12 children who had ideas, put them into action and made a difference. There are beautiful, detailed illustrations and a liberal sprinkling of facts throughout as well.
4.5 STARS-- While the formatting isn't the best for e-reader, this is a vibrant, beautifully illustrated book that shares the inspiring stories of real kids around the world who are doing things to help their local environments, from hosting tree-planting and beach cleanup events to starting composting or water-saving programs at their own schools.
Along the way, readers are educated with easy-to-read blurbs regarding what the problems are, some possible solutions, and what we can do to help. Some of the solutions may be more useful than others, depending upon readers' individual situations--for example, I've never seen beeswax wrap sold as an option alongside conventional plastic wrap anywhere. I wish we had more choices in regards to plastics.
That said, I was overjoyed to see the recommendation at the book's conclusion for readers to reduce their meat consumption (although I wish it would have been part of the main text, too.) Although it's the second-leading cause of global climate change, and negatively affects just about every other aspect of the environment to boot, industrial animal agriculture is still a taboo discussion topic in a depressing amount of eco-themed materials. Thank the writers of this book for being brave enough to save the planet, as well!
Goed geïllustreerd, de afbeeldingen laten alles zien waar de tekst over gaat. Het is bijna niet nodig om te lezen. Het is een positief boek om aan kinderen te laten zien wat je zelf kan doen voor de aarde en het milieu. Het is niet echt een voorlees boek, de teksten zijn daarvoor te kort en te “informatief” geschreven. De manier waarom de informatie wordt overgebracht komt wat kil en onpersoonlijk over.
The kids in this book know what’s up - They are already doing more to help the planet than many of us! They are the heroes and heroines that our home needs right now, and they give me a small bit of hope for the future. What a great way to inspire other children!
Love this! My kids are too young to understand a lot of the details so we read the subtitles together and looked at pictures. When they are older, they can enjoy more of the book. I love that the topics are all things kids can work on themselves.
I loved this book! Such cute story for elementary students about children who are making a difference in climate change. It shows even the littlest learners can make a difference!
When you hear of young climate activists, your mind may go to well known activists like Greta Thunberg. But there are children across the globe, just like our children, who are taking action against climate change.
Old Enough To Save The Planet by Loll Kirby introduces us to twelve young climate activists, and highlights the actions they are taking to make change in their community.
From New York to Australia, these young children are making huge changes like reducing the effects of traffic pollution, diverting food waste from landfills, and reducing litter pollution.
I love that Old Enough To Save The Planet gives specific examples of different elements affecting climate change, like littering and deforestation, as well as specific ways to address many of those issues. Sometimes, I feel like children’s books about climate change add anxiety for children when they describe the problems facing our planet, but this one is written with so much hope and encouragement that it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
The beautiful illustrations by Adelina Lirius capture the beauty of nature, as well as the diversity of our communities, providing a great visual of how we can all work together to save the the planet that we all share
To further assist young readers in making a difference, the back of the book has several empowering ideas, including a list of ten ways young readers can help save the planet, ten ways to make their voice heard, and resources for further reading.
I would like to thank Abrams Young Readers and Magic Cat Publishing for providing me with a review copy of such a wonderful book.
"Du musst nicht bis morgen warten. Du bist stark, wichtig und schlau. Du kannst heute beginnen" Diese wichtige Botschaft an Kinder findet sich gleich im Vorwort des Buches "Gross genug, die Welt zu retten" von Loll Kirby und Adelina Lirius.
Das Buch erzählt von 12 Kindern aus der ganzen Welt, die sich für Umweltschutz, Natur und den Erhalt unseres Planeten einsetzen. Dabei wird jedes Kind mit seiner Idee auf einer wunderschön illustrierten Doppelseite vorgestellt.
Die Illustrationen sind für mich einer der großen Pluspunkte dieses Buches. Sie sind sehr detailreich und ansprechend gestaltet. Generell ist das Buch sehr liebevoll und hochwertig gestaltet, mit einem hübschen Cover mit Prägung. Auch das Umschlagpapier ist mit Illustrationen versehen. Solche kleine Details sprechen mich sehr an.
Inhaltlich gefällt mir sehr, dass die Auswahl der Kinder eine große Diversität darstellt. Es sind Kinder mit unterschiedlichen Hautfarben und auch Kinder mit Rollstuhl abgebildet.
Auf jeder Doppelseite wird kurz das Kind, das Land und das entsprechende Ziel vorgestellt und dann kurz erklärt, um welches Problem es sich handelt und welche Idee bzw. welchen Lösungsansatz das Kind hat. Ich war erst skeptisch, ob das Buch für meinen 3jährigen Sohn zu komplex ist. Auch wenn er noch nicht alle der Themen zu 100% versteht, findet er das Buch grundsätzlich sehr interessant. Auf den Seiten ist soviel zu entdecken, dass wir bei einem Mal vorlesen meist nur ca. 3 Doppelseiten schaffen. Die Seiten regen also auf jeden Fall Gespräche zum Thema Umweltschutz an. Ich denke das Buch wird auch in den kommenden Jahren noch spannend sein.
Ein kleiner Minuspunkt ist für mich die Schriftgröße der kleinen erklärenden Texte, die noch auf den Illustrationen abgebildet sind. Sie sind bei etwas schummerigem Licht (wie z.B. abends beim Vorlesen) nicht ganz so gut zu erkennen.
Insgesamt finde ich das Buch sehr gelungen. Es vermittelt die wichtige Botschaft, dass jeder einen Unterschied machen kann und bietet einen schönen Einstieg ins Thema Umweltschutz, ohne dabei mit zu vielen Informationen zu erschlagen.
Reading to find material for my educational climate change camp for kids.
This book tells the story of 12 climate change 'heroes', who are kids that took some kind of environmental action (fighting plastic waste, food waste, deforestation, etc.) in their country. Some did community initiatives, some started a charity, etc.
The format of the book was interesting (two pages for each kid of illustrations, with a main text + a bunch of tiny text woven throughout the illustration). For reading to a bigger audience, the tiny text in the illustration is difficult to see/read.
I liked the variety and diversity of the children included (THANK YOU FOR NOT MAKING THE WHOLE BOOK ABOUT INEFFECTUAL PROTESTS) - different causes, different countries, different scales, different ages - and shows kids it is possible to make a real difference.
I like this book because it is real - these aren't fictional 'climate heroes' - so if you're a nine-year old at home, you can do something in your community too.
The back of the book contains "How you can help save the planet" (10 ways) which were useful. But again, the text is absolutely tiny and for kids especially, it would have been better to make it bigger (not in 9pt font). The other page has "10 things you can do to make your voice heard" (thank you, again, for not just saying 'protest'). This was a helpful section to conclude the book.
I will likely use this book at the camp.
I would recommend for kids 7 to 13. 13 year olds are a bit old for a 'picture book', but there were teens included in the heroes, so it can still inspire older children too.
How can I and you help to save the planet? 1. Buy products with little or no packaging 2. Stop food waste 3. Mend things instead of throwing them away 4. Walk, or use public transportation, instead of using a car 5. Think carefully before traveling by airplane 6. Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth 7. Aim to eat more seasonal, locally grown produce to reduce food miles 8. Eat less meat 9. Save energy at home wherever possible 10. Buy less stuff.
The websites about issues: climatekids.nasa.gov climaterealityproject.org earthpeacefoundation.org earthsavegirl.com greenpeace.org kidsagainstpalmoil.org plant-for-the-planet.org
"I'm smart enough to read this book. I care enough to hear the news. I know enough to make this change. I'm old enough to save the planet."
Kirby’s picture book is the perfect starting point for any child or young person who is driven by the need to do something about the direction the world is heading. Through the profiles of 12 kids, Kirby shows the reader how the smallest actions can begin to make big changes.
There are two particular elements of this non-fiction picture book that resonate deeply with me. The first is the facts that are peppered throughout each of the double page spreads. The second is the incredibly detailed and rich vibrant colours of the illustrations. The combination of the two makes for this call-to-arms to be accessible and non-intrusive.
Thank you @walkerbooksaus for gifting me a copy to read and review!
If you can't tell by now, I love children's books with beautiful pictures. Pictures add so much to stories through meaning and interpretation and so many children find detailed pictures like these very engaging. Climate change and learning how to protect our planet has become very prevalent in the last few years and many children feel very passionately about saving the planet. This book inspires and empowers children to feel that they can make a difference, even if they feel they are too young. This book also has amazing teaching opportunities, could be used for science lessons when learning about deforestation or pollution. It could also be used as a stimulus for English to write letters to world-leaders asking them to act on Climate change.
Aimed at children ages 6-8, Old Enough to Save the Planet provides nice narratives of 12 different kids around the world and the actions they are taking to advocate for earth care and help mitigate the problems associated with climate change. Children will be able to connect the dots and think about taking similar actions in their own hometowns. They will learn about reforestation, native plants, single-use plastics, traffic pollution, litter, palm oil, gardening, composting, and more! The illustrations are engaging and wonderful -- paired with the narrative and little bits of facts spread through the pages, this style makes for a nice presentation of hard topics for young children.
***Note: I was given a review copy of this book by Magic Cat Publishing. Opinions are my own.
I want to give it 5 stars because of the subject but I can’t. It didn’t deliver all the way, I expected a bit more of it?
The illustrations are beautiful, it is a good way to inspire kids but it doesn’t explain as much as it could the “why”. Kids already need to have insight about the climate problem, co2, etc. Not all kids do, of course, it would have helped to give a bit more background info in my opinion. Other than that; great !
Throughout the story, the children learn about various environmental issues, such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change, and are inspired to take action. They engage in activities such as recycling, planting trees, reducing waste, and advocating for environmental protection. This book can be used in classrooms to educate students about environmental problems and encourage them to want to take action in preserving the planet.
I received a free advanced copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Calling all kids! You can help save the planet! This book shows kids all around the world and what they are doing to help save our planet. It's the little things that make a huge impact, so get inspired and get moving on being the change we need in the world!
this well-illustrated book is a great way to encourage students to take a part in saving their plants. The author discusses 12 kids and their plan to save the world on a double-spread page. I loved how the author discusses many environmental issues and lists some facts about them. The illustration did a great job in giving readers a sense of reality.
A really lovely, inspiring book for youngsters. Simple tales of young people who have decided to act on climate change. The plethora of stories, the geographic diversity, and the variety of areas in which the climate fight can be focused certainly got another advocate in our household when we read this together.
This book is about 12 young kids who got people to help save the planet. One kid got kids to plant trees. One got people to ride bikes to reduce traffic pollution. Two got people to use plastic smarter. They all did great things at a young age to help the earth. One seven year old raised money. All big things small people can do.
Obviously love the message here, but a lot of the text was so tiny/blended into the illustrated backgrounds, therefore making it inaccessible. The format was also just uninteresting/hard to process for me. I'm having a hard time picturing how you would read this to a kid. The colors/illustrations are gorgeous though!
12 introductions to real children fighting to make a difference in the world. Beautifully illustrated, full of useful information and how children can make a difference now. Inspiring and empowering.
Includes real life kids from all over the world making a difference to help the earth. Beautiful illustrations, good balance of words per page for early readers, and inclusive characters. Highly recommend.
In this book, w meet 12 young activists from around the world who are speaking out and taking action against climate change. We learn about the work they do and the challenges they face, and discover how the future of our planet starts with each and every one of us.
We loved this one! I LOVE how it shows kids their ideas matter. Kids are so often made to feel like they’re not capable of doing big things, that everything important is left to the adults. Books like these show real stories of real kids making a very real impact.
This book is a wonderful way to show that children, too, can help save our planet. It gives examples of what real children are doing now, and tells ways that the children who read this book can help save the planet, too.