ON OUR NATURE WALK

This installment in the World Around Us series addresses how humans can affect the environment in good and bad ways.

The most memorable part of this book is the foreword, which describes how the Earth is the only habitable planet we know of, setting the tone for why we humans must take care of it. The text then uses a Q-and-A format, with questions in large, colored display type on the verso and answers (about a half-page paragraph in large type) on the recto. A sidebar on the far right introduces more details about a topic on each spread (for example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). Large photographs are set on a lightly patterned pastel background, with drawings of children in various poses filling space around the text and photographs. The text begins with a nature walk during which a child notices litter in the forest, progresses through questions about pollution and what people can do about it, and ends with an emphasis on the sort of innovation and problem-solving that will be needed to save our planet. Unfortunately, the straightforward text does not sustain the level of interest promised by the dramatic foreword; the Q-and-A format works to bring in different topics, but it leaves openings for readers’ minds to wander. While the photographs are well chosen and child-friendly, the drawings distract from rather than add to the presentation.

Accessible and informative—but look elsewhere to get kids excited about the topic.