Review by New York Times Review
THIS book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous. Between the title, which perfectly sums up the tone and content of the book, and the foregoing sentence, there's really nothing else you need to know. If I were you, I'd jot down the title so you can check it out later, skip the rest of this review and get on with the book section and/or your day. If, however, you insist on reading on - which I assure you will involve more or less a reiteration of the above but with a few additional 25-cent adjectives - then here you go. Sally Lloyd-Jones and Sue Heap created this book in such a way that it feels as though the concept, story and approach were all ripe and whole somewhere in idea space, just waiting to be plucked, and they were the ones who grabbed it. The story begins with the infinitely wise guru of an older sister announcing, "When you're a baby, you are in a crib and not in school." This wonderfully abrupt and confident opening sets the stage perfectly: big sister knows everything in the universe, big sister is doing new baby/us an incredible favor by imparting all this wisdom, and new baby is (at least for now) not so much a person as he is an audience. The how-to manual covers a wide range of topics including "real clothes" versus pajamas, reading, food, fears, baths, manners, friends and sleep, to name a few. Talking: "You talk, but no one knows what you're saying, because you just make it all up." Singing: "You don't know the words. Or the tune. (I know the words and the tune AND THE DANCE.)" Car seats: "You don't even face the right way. (I prefer to sit in a seat like a normal person.)" There are supplementary "what else" lists throughout the book, like "Here's What Else You Can't Do" and "Here's What Toys You Don't Have and You're Not Allowed to Play With." One of the last such lists - "Here's What Else Babies Are Good At" - cues the book's emotional shift, and the final eight pages celebrate siblinghood while still keeping it real (i.e., maybe you're not so bad after all, and I wish you well as long as you don't surpass me). Sue Heap's illustrations complement the text in just the right way, and I can't imagine it looking any other way. In other words, this book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous. Amy Krouse Rosenthal is the author of "Little Pea," "Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons" and, published this month, "The OK Book."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
In this youth-focused adaptation of Gore's 2006 adult book and Oscar-winning documentary, Gore and O'Connor (credited as "adaptor") distill the material, creating an eye-opening story that targets kids' concerns. Gone are the political passages that begin with phrases such as "During the Clinton-Gore years . . ." The language is basic-- vector in the adult book becomes "life forms that can carry"--and offers clear definitions of such terms as greenhouse gases and persuasive, accessible arguments for how the climate crisis has developed and what can be done to address it. The sturdy pages are filled with color photographs and charts, and the images are riveting. Like the pictures, the personal stories bring the facts close, and in addition to the urgent science, Gore's book shows how mentors can change lives. In his moving introduction, Gore speaks about how reading Rachel Carson's Silent Spring \b0 (1962) when he was 14 years old shocked him into environmental awareness, which developed further during his studies with pioneering scientist Dr. Roger Revelle at Harvard. Gore's research continues to raise controversy, but few, if any, books for youth offer such a dynamic look at the climate issues threatening our planet. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Much as Eric Schlosser revised his Fast Food Nation findings into the child-centered Chew on This, Gore produces a new edition of An Inconvenient Truth, "adapted for a new generation." "Earth is sometimes called the Goldilocks planet-neither too hot like Venus with its thick poisonous atmosphere nor too cold like Mars," Gore writes, then delivers resounding evidence that things are no longer just right. Captioned color photos compare thriving coral to bleached reefs-victims of rising ocean temperatures and pollution-and place images of former glaciers side-by-side with today's snowless plains or lakes. Where some images celebrate astronauts' views of the Earth from space, others show a refuse dump in Mexico City and Tokyo's astonishing urban sprawl; one startling snapshot shows dull brown, clearcut land in Haiti ("98 percent of their forests have been cut down") abutting the still-green, forested Dominican Republic. Although lighter on textual explication of climate change, this children's text hews closely to the original and to Gore's famous slide show; that said, the urgency of conservation fails to come across in the pedestrian prose, which might fail to inspire its audience. For all his subject's vital importance, Gore provides just two brief pages on ways to "Take Action." Readers will want to browse the amazing pictures, but will have to look elsewhere for ideas on making a difference. Ages 11-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This young readers' version of the recent documentary film's companion adult volume cuts the page count by about a third but preserves the original's cogent message and many of its striking visuals. After explaining that his interest in the environment predates even his mother's reading of Silent Spring aloud to him as a teenager, Gore proceeds to document steeply rising carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere, and then to link that to accelerating changes in temperature and precipitation patterns worldwide. Using easy-to-grasp graphics and revealing before-and-after photos, he shows how glaciers and ice shelves are disappearing all over the globe with alarming speed, pointing to profound climate changes and increased danger from rising sea levels in the near future. O'Connor rephrases Gore's arguments in briefer, simpler language without compromising their flow, plainly intending to disturb readers rather than frighten them. He writes measured, matter-of-fact prose, letting facts and trends speak for themselves-but, suggesting that "what happens locally has worldwide consequences," he closes with the assertion that we will all have to "change the way we live our lives." Like the film, this title may leave readers to look elsewhere for both documentation and for specific plans of action, but as an appeal to reason it's as polished and persuasive as it can be.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Middle School) In this work adapted from his documentary film and adult book of the same name, Gore outlines the present effects of global warming on the planet and predicts dire future effects. Stunning graphs and charts display complicated material and -- with their straightforward legends, uncluttered patterns, bold colors, and varying designs -- serve as models of clarity for transmitting scientific information. Unfortunately, the text is less successful. Throughout the book, Gore makes statements without attribution or proof. Undocumented vagaries such as ""Some scientists think global warming could potentially disrupt the workings of [the Global Ocean] conveyor belt, with disastrous consequences to the climate worldwide"" reduce science to anecdote. Although some documentation appears on the website (www.climatecrisis.net, casually referenced on the last text page of the book and the back flap), finding these sources is awkward. Yes, Gore's done his homework, but the absence of source notes for many of his statements gives youngsters few opportunities to see how they can do their own scholarship. With image credits and an index. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A bestselling tie-in book, now adapted for middle- and high-school readers by Jane O'Connor, accompanied the award-winning documentary film about global warming, from Vice President Gore. Gore has contributed a new introduction, and a new table of contents clarifies his argument. Most of the illustrations have been retained. Beginning with an introduction to the issue, the evidence is presented in striking then-and-now pictures, simple graphs and straightforward, clearly written text. Some of the logic of individual bits of his original presentation has been lost in the simplification, but readers are likely to be familiar with his examples and the potential consequences: storms, floods, droughts, changes at the poles and in the oceans, public-health issues and even the rhythm of the seasons. Gore points out the effects of the population explosion and political denial but holds out hope that this crisis can also provide an opportunity for change. Four simple action steps are suggested, and readers are referred to the website from the film for further information. Multiple copies should be in every school and library. (acknowledgements, credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
