Most kids’ books about the environment encourage children to adopt Earth-friendly habits like taking shorter showers and recycling. But in a new release called “A Kids Book About Climate Change,” the authors focus on the bigger picture.
“The approach we took was really to talk about the systemic nature of the issue,” says Olivia Greenspan, who co-wrote the book with Zanagee Artis.
Both authors are environmental advocates. And Artis says working to change the systemic causes of climate change is the most effective way to make an impact.
“The decisions that we have available to us are there because of systems and larger corporations and government decisions,” he says. “And so our ability to turn on the lights and have it be powered by renewable energy or natural gas … that’s a decision that’s made by someone else, and it’s a larger system related to our energy grid. So we want people to really think about what it means to be a part of this system and how that relates to climate change.”
Greenspan says she hopes the book empowers kids to speak up and advocate for change.
“I hope kids walk away understanding that a stable climate is their right,” she says, “and that they are more powerful than they believe.”
Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media