Review by Booklist Review
As the consequences of climate change become increasingly dire, there's a crucial need for up-to-date information. This science-and-social-studies crossover offers a global perspective of climate-related developments, showing how weather extremes have ecological, political, economic, and social repercussions that ripple across continents. Chapters concentrate on individual factors, providing the science behind concerns like rising sea levels, drought and forest fires, and vanishing environments; the narrative integrates these consequences into everyday-living scenarios, often doubling back to reinforce situations from previous pages. Chapters begin with a quote and are filled with maps, charts, insets, and photos, and there are chapter notes, a selected bibliography, and an annotated list of sources for further information. A final chapter, aptly introduced with a Greta Thunberg quote, concentrates on solutions, ranging from local (beach cleanups, roof farms) to national (the Biden administration's creation of a cabinet-level "climate envoy" position) to international (the Montreal Protocol to save the ozone layer). This is a documented, balanced, and accessible update on an evolving crisis.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An in-depth discussion of how climate change is affecting our world. Numerous recent publications for young readers address the topic of climate change. By now, much of the information provided here regarding human causes is not new. However, the personal approach is: Fleischer begins with a discussion of Tuvalu, an island nation in the South Pacific that is losing land to climate change. In 2008, he traveled there on a journalism grant to study the effects on its inhabitants, including their fears about having to relocate when their country becomes uninhabitable, possibly within our lifetimes. The author then dives into an in-depth discussion of what climate change is; how climate change is impacting lives around the world; how it contributes to drought, fires, flooding, loss of habitat, and disease; and what can be done at this point to stop the damage. In summary, the book encourages young people to learn about these critical issues and then do something about them. To support his claims, Fleischer uses specific examples, recent scientific studies, maps, and informative sidebars, such as a poignant story regarding a koala that was trapped in the devastating Australian bushfires of 2019 and 2020. Additionally, the author's conversational tone that includes the occasional pun will resonate well with the target audience. A wealth of information and an engaging approach are certain to have a lasting impact. (source notes, bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
