Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet

by Harriet Rohmer, Julie McLaughlin (Illustrator)

Overview

This inspiring book presents the true stories of 12 people from across North America who have done great things for the environment. Heroes include a teenage girl who figured out how to remove an industrial pollutant from the Ohio River, a Mexican superstar wrestler who works to protect turtles and whales, and a teenage boy from Rhode Island who helped his community and his state develop effective e-waste recycling programs. Plenty of photographs and illustrations bring each compelling story vividly to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811867795
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	08/12/2009
Pages:	110
Sales rank:	376,866
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1070L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

Harriet Rohmer is the founder and former publisher/executive director of Children's Book Press, the award-winning publisher of bilingual and multicultural picture books. Her books have won over 100 major awards and many have become classics, including artist Carmen Lomas Garza's Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia. She lives in San Francisco.

Julie McLaughlin is an illustrator living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
"The mantra of the environmental movement is think globally, act locally, and this book offers examples of local heroes who are helping to save the planet....Stories come from all across America and include a diverse group of men and women, making this volume of interest to a broad audience."

SIERRA CLUB'S THE GREEN LIFE BLOG
"This little book packs a big punch..."

BOOKLIST
"The powerful mix of personal stories with crucial environmental and social issues will be a call to action for young readers, who will want to move on to the final section: How You Can Get Involved."

KIRKUS REVIEWS
"...provides plenty of encouragement for concerned young readers."

From the Publisher

Gr 5–9—The mantra of the environmental movement is "think globally, act locally," and this book offers examples of local heroes who are helping to save the planet. Maps, illustrations, and photographs are used to good effect. Each of the 12 chapters tells the story of a person doing his/her part to preserve our environment. Debby Tewa works to bring solar energy to Indian Country, and Sarah James speaks on behalf of the Gwich'in Indian Peoples of Alaska and Canada who want to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. Judy Bonds, a community activist in West Virginia, works to bring an end to mountaintop removal mining; and Omar Freilla founded ReBuilders Source, a New York City-based company that recycles building materials. Stories come from all across America and include a diverse group of men and women, making this volume of interest to a broad audience. A final section offers information on how readers can get involved in their own communities.—Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL

School Library Journal

Introducing a dozen North American eco-activists, most of them teenagers or younger adults, Rohmer conveys one inspirational success story after another. With the notable exception of El Hijo Del Santo, a Mexican masked wrestler who stages public events to draw attention to a range of environmental issues, the "heroes" here at least began their work on a local, grassroots level. Alex Lin coordinates an initiative to refurbish discarded computers and other e-waste; Debby Tewa promotes and installs solar-power systems on Arizona's Hopi Reservation; as a teenager Erica Fernandez stood up to protest the planned construction of a huge natural-gas pipeline through her California town. The author largely steers clear of technical details-which makes John Todd's invention of biological-waste filters and Kelydra Welcker's development of a method of testing water for the pollutant C-8 appear easier than seems likely-but provides plenty of encouragement for concerned young readers. Two-toned art and small, murky black-and-white photos add further notes of earnest purpose. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews