I haven’t seen too many climate or earth-friendly picture books passing through my local library except during Earth Day so I was excited to find this. I posted my review of another one, on my writing blog. While books on climate change for adults can sometimes feel anxiety-provoking, books for children often end on a hopeful note.
I am taking a break from writing my own picture books (my debut comes out in spring. yay!) and middle grade novels, so I thought it would be great to share about The Tide is Rising, So are We! A Climate Movement Anthem.
Published by Beaming Books, written by Shoshana Meira Friedman and illustrated by Kiki Kita, is a joyful, bright picture book based on the climate anthem written by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman and Yotam Schachter. At the beginning of the picture book, you can read about how, “The Tide is Rising,” started and how it has been used in protests, marches and more.
This a rhyming picture book, which when read aloud is a perfect bedtime story.
Besides the illustrations which show people protesting in various ways, as well as beautiful natural scenes, there is an underlying theme of empowerment and hope that no matter what we are struggling with, we are not alone.
For me as a mom who cares deeply about the earth, I am constantly teetering between enjoying and appreciating the moment with my children while worrying about their future.
My kids are very aware of how I feel about it.
We all use our leftover water bottles to water our plants, largely which are drought-friendly and native. We compost and I recently purchased a dehumidifier, which is also great for feeding our green onions or gardenia.
I love how in this story, it isn’t all rainbows and sunshine because our world isn’t. There are pages that represent the natural disasters that are plaguing our every day: “The weather is the planet’s voice: She’s warning, ‘Make a better choice!’” But it doesn’t stay there, the next page reminds us that even though, “The storm is raging, So are we! And this is where we’re called to be.”
Even through rhyme, we see hope through practical solutions such as protests, renewable energy, gardening and learning the wisdom from our ancestors. The author’s note shares what she has done to fight back against pollution and destruction, and offers hope on how we can come together when we feel most alone. She also offers a link to download her Climate Activist Handbook.
Highly Recommend!
This is a great picture book to give a child in your life especially ones who are sensitive to climate change.