DISPLACED

In this illustrated children’s story, animals seek safer habitats in reaction to climate change.

This book takes a frankly sobering approach to the topic of climate change. In it, various species of animals travel over land and sea to find refuge from their disappearing habitats. Broken ice sheets convey Antarctic penguins to a woodsy town on the south coast of Australia; polar bears end up in the Mongolian desert; elephants sail from the Serengeti to Hawaii on a boat of branches; koalas hitch a ride with the elephants and find a prickly home among Arizona’s Joshua trees. Sea lions head inland to live under the oaks at California’s Descanso Garden, relying on “the sympathy of strangers to serve them seafood.” Cows become seaweed-munching beach dwellers, and an orangutan clings to a palm tree rooted in a patch of ice in the Bering Sea. The author, a landscape architect, photographer, and designer of “nature-based play and learning environments for children,” weaves the story of each animal species’ plight into a fantastical narrative grounded in real environmental threats—rising sea levels, melting ice, droughts, floods, fires. Each story sums up what the displaced animals miss about their homes, and each ends with the slightly awkward refrain: “but it’s sad to say” their habitats “may not be there anymore anyway.” The surreal effect of the author’s illustrations—photographic images of real animals incorporated within varied landscapes—makes the stories even more unnerving. The scenarios include the possibility of humans retreating underground to escape rising temperatures, but thankfully, the author doesn’t end on that apocalyptic note. Instead, the realization that the planet is in peril galvanizes billions of people to work together to heal the Earth. The author smartly grounds the fantasy in clear, comprehensive backmatter, which includes a list of story-related questions for children, further information for adults, websites and additional reading material for all ages, and ways to fight climate change.

A thought-provoking blend of fantasy and unusual imagery and an urgent call to environmental action.