CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Earth and its human inhabitants have the power to remove the excess carbon in the air that leads to climate change.

This premise underlies a hopeful explanation of the climate crisis and possible mitigation tools. Even before the title page, capable readers will find brief definitions of terms such as carbon, carbon dioxide, photosynthesis, fossil fuels, and the greenhouse effect. The pages that follow are designed for younger readers and listeners. Boersma’s digitally colored drawings are attractive and detailed, showcasing city scenes, an underwater kelp forest, a mangrove swamp, a temperate woodland, and more, with a diverse human population. Levy’s poetic text describes the carbon problem and ways to address it. Sea kelp, mangroves, and dirt all trap carbon in different ways. People can help, too, by switching to more environmentally friendly power sources, farming methods, and transportation. This versatile writer’s published titles include picture books, fiction, and biographies for young people. Most have been historically themed; science is a new direction for her. While scientists may find some of Levy’s explanations oversimplified, she takes a positive approach to explaining the causes and challenges of climate change—something encouraged by climate educators. There’s no question that this is a valuable introduction and, with its pleasing repetitions, a satisfying read-aloud.

An attractively simple explanation of a pressing problem.