COUNT ON US!

A call to eco-action based on the power of numbers.

One child takes “action” by planting a tree, two groups of young marchers hold “bold banners,” three hikers are “caring about nature,” and so on in Snyder’s alphabetical count to 10, and then, by 10s to 100, and on in larger increments to a billion of us: “Zooming towards a better future!” Young readers marching in step will meet Greta Thunberg and other iconic environmentalists and glimpse multiple ways of participating in the movement, from mass demonstrations to planting gardens and organizing community cleanups. Walsh may not always be equal to the ABC bit—filling out one page with 80 question marks, for example, and after 100 just going to abstract bands of color for each jump—but she does make dedicated efforts to diversify the many human figures in her cartoon illustrations by age, race, and physical difference. In a closing section that also includes visual keys to some of the more crowded pictures and further suggestions for a greener lifestyle, the author concludes by reinforcing the overall message that individual action is good but not enough on its own to effect real change. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sounds no new notes but joins the chorus of appeals aiming to turn passive concern to active deeds.