A warmhearted, hopeful book that falters on its science.
In Nelson’s (Chrysalis, 2015, etc.) illustrated blend of fact and fable for all ages, children around the world join in meditation and other practices to rescue the Earth from global warming.
Our planet is a living being named Gaia, asserts this book, which embodies magic and can change her shape and size into whatever she likes. Her soul mate is the “great and noble stag Ananda,” another magical being who circles the globe to keep light and dark in balance. But despite their powers, Gaia is currently dying, thanks to climate change—a phenomenon that’s hard to fight due to the political influence of the greedy rich, who include twin brothers Cain and Brutus. They want to drill in the North Pole for the element “technetium,” which magical creatures know as “Mortium, the death element.” Some adults work to defend Gaia, but her “best hope was in the young-ones.” The book then describes some real-life efforts by young people (such as those in the activist group Earth Guardians) to help the Earth and suggests further activities for young readers before turning to the story of five “innocent and kind and good” cousins: Liam, Leora, Arthur, Joey, and Maya. They work together to heal Gaia through such means as imagination, healing intentions, art, and telepathy, which bring in more helpers and eventually spark a Great Healing. By straightforwardly declaring the reality of magic, telepathic powers, and healing thoughts, this book may disappoint readers expecting an approach to combating climate change that’s more grounded in scientific thinking. For example, Nelson explains that cells “somehow communicate with each other” through exchanging “electrical information,” which is true of neurons, but most other types of cells communicate through chemical signals. The book also says that this communication works on an “ever-expanding scale,” such that “Gaia” and possibly the galaxies communicate with humans, but the real difference between cellular communication and human speech is more than one of scale. Also, the story gives up on change through political action as an effective weapon; an important climate accord is reached only through the catalyst of pure-heartedness. Still, Nelson taps into a powerful modern fantasy of saving the Earth, and her hallucinatory, colorful illustrations help tell the story.
A warmhearted, hopeful book that falters on its science.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2015
ISBN: 9781628800913
Page Count: 108
Publisher: Ideas into Books WESTVIEW
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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