Published: 2022
Author: Eduardo Garcia
Illustrator: Sara Boccaccini Meadows
Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Environment, Nature, Climate Change, Self Help, How To, Lifestyle
Audience (Grade Levels): EVERYONE (All Ages / Classroom & School Libraries)
Number of Stars: 5 Stars
Goodreads Link: Things You Can Do: How to Fight Climate Change and Reduce Waste
Triggers: Existential threats / climate change overview (handled in an accessible, positive manner)
Review By: Karen Fenner
Publisher’s Summary:
Learn what you can do right now to reduce your carbon footprint with this inspiring, accessible, stunningly illustrated book based on Eduardo Garcia’s popular New York Times column.
Award-winning climate journalist Eduardo Garcia offers a deeply researched and user-friendly guide to the things we can do every day to fight climate change. Based on his popular New York Times column “One Thing You Can Do,” this fully illustrated book proposes simple solutions for an overwhelming problem. No lectures here – just accessible and inspiring ideas to slash emissions and waste in our daily lives, with over 350 explanatory illustrations by talented painter Sara Boccaccini Meadows. In each chapter, Garcia digs into the issue, explaining how everyday choices lead to carbon emissions, then delivers a wealth of ‘Things You Can Do’ to make a positive impact, such as:
- Eat a climate-friendly diet
- Reduce food waste
- Save energy at home
- Adopt zero-waste practices
Review:
This is a charming book that tackles the most existential problem we face with clear, nonjudgemental facts supplemented by charts and illustrations. And oh, those illustrations! They are simply delightful and create a sense that this book is for everyone – accessible, friendly, and positive. The book not only provides information on the science of climate change but also provides simple actions individuals can do to counter climate change in sections entitled “Things You Can Do.” Reducing your carbon footprint and/or reducing waste seems possible when broken into categories and then into small actionable items accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Instead of being overwhelmed and intimidated by the enormity of climate change, the reader feels empowered through the combination of visuals and text. It truly is a book for all ages and should sit on your bookshelf – or better yet, pick it up and find one small change that you or your students can do for the planet.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Science / Environmental Studies: This text serves as a perfect companion for earth science and environmental units focusing on sustainability, ecosystems, and human impact on the planet. The integration of deeply researched, nonjudgmental scientific facts alongside charts allows educators to demonstrate the data behind carbon footprints and waste systems.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) / Empowerment: Rather than triggering climate anxiety or leaving students feeling overwhelmed by an existential global problem, this text utilizes a strategic combination of supportive text and positive visuals to cultivate personal agency and empowerment.
Readalikes:
- Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter
- Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
