Introduction and Editors’ Note
Mariajo Ilustrajo’s brilliant picturebook Flooded summarizes the focus of this issue on collective action to address environmental issues. As government spending for environmental programs is slashed, these titles underscore the possibilities for taking action to support environmental health. The books demonstrate that people of all ages can brainstorm solutions and tackle issues like endangered habitats and species, deforestation, consumerism resulting in disposable goods that end up in landfills or in waterways, and reliance on fuels that exacerbate climate change. Each title has a call to action that can inspire readers to research problems and brainstorm ways to address local and global issues. These titles inspire and give hope that, by working together, we can have an impact on our pressing environmental problems.
The issue opens with The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife, a poetic exploration of what it means to welcome wildlife into urban spaces. The impact of climate change is also explored in stunning prose and images in Polar Bear and Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, two species that are endangered because of loss of habitat.
Deforestation is explored in two titles. In Pencil, a wordless book, the cyclical journey of a writing tool starts in a beautiful forest of trees that is clear cut to make colored pencils which a young artist purchases. Inspired by the remaining tree stumps, she draws the forest, recreating the lush and diverse trees that invite wildlife. As a final nod to nature, the girl plants the pencil which begins to grow into a sapling. The work of Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement in Kenya is profiled in Planting Peace. Wangari Maathai galvanized women from across different ethnic groups to work together and plant millions of trees to reforest and rebuild ecosystems in their country, which in turn enabled them to feed their families. The initial tree planting ceremony called Save the Land Harambee (which means Let’s All Pull Together) morphed into the Green Belt Movement that spread across Kenya, Africa, and the world.
A final group of titles profiles activism that addresses other environmental issues impacted by consumerism and waste. British climate activist Mikaela Loach discusses a range of issues brought on by consumerism in her book Climate is Just the Start, intertwining facts with stories that make the climate issue real but also encourage the reader to take action. In Kids vs Plastics, a balanced perspective is offered as the author and illustrator identify many objects made from plastic that have become crucial in 21st century life, pairing that information with plastic waste and profiles of children and youth who have taken action to recycle, clean up, or offer alternatives to consumer waste. In Composting for Community, a young boy learns more about food and plant waste and the composting process that turns waste into food for the soil. Composting also solves the problem of the methane gas produced from decaying plant material in a landfill. Finally, in a unique story, one man’s efforts to rescue and display reusable or unusual items is portrayed in Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away. Nelson Molina, a sanitation worker in New York City, salvaged over 45,000 items from his garbage truck and shared them in his Treasures in the Trash Museum.
We invite you to read and think with these titles and consider submitting a review for future issues. Please refer to calls below and the submission guidelines.
Volume 18, Issue 2 (Winter 2025 – submission deadline December 1, 2025) – Themed issue profiling titles that involve curiosity, inventiveness and imagination as a tool for problem-solving.
Volume 18, Issue 3 (Spring 2026 – submission deadline March 1, 2026) – Open theme. The editors welcome reviews of global or multicultural children’s or young adult books published within the last three years that highlight intercultural understanding and global perspectives.
Welcome to Melissa Wilson as the new co-editor!
Susan Corapi, co-editor
Melissa Wilson, co-editor
© 2025 by Susan Corapi and Melissa Wilson
