climate change and its consequences | Red Reading Hub – Jillrbennett's Reviews of Children's Books

Children of the Throne
Joseph Coelho and Richard Johnson
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Three children are called from their tower block home to a hidden world beneath. They listen to a story of a tree-grown man explaining how things have changed, greatly endangering the world. It’s the hottest day of the year and already golden brown leaves are drifting down from the trees, the birds cannot find the food to fly and the worms can’t penetrate the surface of the baked-hard ground.

As they listen, they hear that the trees have been duped by the unseasonal heat and think it’s autumn. Meanwhile the grown-ups, delighted by the hot summer, are unconcerned and continue their polluting actions.

The wise tree-grown man puts a crown on each young narrator’s head, telling them “You have the magic now … to make this madness end.” Still though the adults ignore what they hear. Frustrated, using their magic and playing a ‘tune of change’, the three call forth the other children and they all work together,

watched by the amazed adults. Impressed by what they see, they wake up and start to play their part by replacing the burning fossil fuels with other means of generating power as well as trying to eliminate waste-producing systems. In this way, they hope the children’s future will be protected.

Jospeh’s powerfully moving and ultimately hopeful poetic narrative is complemented by Richard Johnson’s stunning luminescent scenes. Let’s hope that young readers/listeners will be inspired by the message that big changes start with small individual actions which can grow into community efforts.

Hello, Mr World
Michael Foreman
Walker Books
Two small children dress up and play doctors. Their patient is Mr World and he’s not feeling good. In true GP fashion the children ask, “Now what seems to be the matter?”
As the doctors go about making their diagnosis, taking his temperature, listening to his chest and running him through the X-ray machine, Mr World talks of raised temperature and breathing problems and we are shown in Foreman’s telling watercolours the consequences of his malaise. Habitats are under threat;

towns and cities choking with filthy, toxic fumes …

drastic consequences of climate change are evident everywhere and, as the doctors decree, “You must look to the future or things will just get worse …”
The solution is in the hands of Mr World’s human inhabitants; and, to the joy of the doctors, and the threatened animals,
the young children acknowledge that they have a huge responsibility; but it’s a challenge well worth taking up.

If only it were that simple. Fortunately, the final three pages offer a brief real world diagnosis and some small but important actions that children themselves can take to help with the crisis.
Foreman’s treatment of a red-hot topic is powerfully affecting. Almost every day one hears on the news or reads of the adverse effects of climate change: only recently we heard that many children playing outside in their school breaks are breathing toxic fumes for instance, so his book is all the more timely. Likening the world to a patient subject to the diagnosis of two small children at play is a stroke of genius, and makes what is a global issue comprehensible to early years listeners

who are likely to inherit the problems we’ve all helped to create. Seize the day!

I’ve signed the charter

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