Climate Change. March 25, 2009. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ (accessed March 31, 2009).
The website for the Environmental Protection Agency, and this page in particular, is filled with information on the various aspects of global warming. It begins with a basic overview and is broken up into sections including Science, U. S. Climate Policy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Health and Environmental Effects, and What You Can Do. Each of these sections contains two or three paragraphs providing scientific information in everyday language.
EPA has created this page to provide information to American citizens of most any age. The careful use of non-technical verbiage makes it easily accessible for middle and high school students doing research or looking to gain a wider knowledge base on a high-interest topic. The layout is devoid of graphics or animations, which many may say could turn away this student audience; however, I feel that such an approach adds credibility to the agency and allows the topic to be treated more seriously by students. It also allows this page to be a resource for an adult audience who, conversely, may turn away from a resource screaming with graphics. If a teacher or student found it useful or more interesting to explore a graphic-rich site, there is a link from this Climate Change page to a kids’ site that is geared toward a slightly younger audience.
The EPA is the leader of the United States’ environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. Their mission is to “protect human health and the environment,” and, according to their website, “since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.” The authority of the EPA is highly respected, and this website represents many of their goals and ideals very well.
David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
From the first glimpse of this book, the appeal will be strong among our intended audience. The cover shows the neck-down view of a teenage girl sitting in grass, holding what appears to be the Earth in her hands. I think this sends an important statement and will draw students in immediately. The book’s large, square shape is accessible, and the authors’ audience is likely upper elementary to middle school children. The arrangement of the text is appealing in its side boxes with sub-topics, familiar graphical references (including pizza, SpongeBob, surfers, etc.), and the multiple fonts/colors used to highlight and draw the eye to various sections or statements. The illustrations are large and colorful, and they support the text well. The content of this book is broken into four sections which are focused on the science of global warming, the effects of global warming on weather systems, its impact on plant and animal life, and what kids, their parents, and friends can do to counter the negative effects of global warming.
Author Laurie David is a global warming activist and producer of a number of documentaries, including An Inconvenient Truth. Co-author Cambria Gordon is a writer and environmental activist. The strength of the authority lies in the extensive list of acknowledgments and source notes which include scientists in America and Great Britain, the EPA, Green Peace, research journals, university researchers, and more.
This book in the hands of middle and high school students will give its readers a strong overview of a high-interest topic. It will keep them engaged while serving as an educational tool. Most readers will feel empowered to make a difference and will likely explore further after reaching the end of the final chapter. Further reading suggestions and a list of interesting web sites are included to keep readers interested and motivated. This one is an easy sell to most any gen-green student. They’re easy to spot: just look for the t-shirt with the recycling logo!
David, Laurie. The Solution is You. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Books, 2006.
In contrast to her Down-to-Earth Guide, Laurie David’s Solution is small, compact, and devoid of visuals. This “Activist’s Guide” is written in prose and is an inspiring work for “eco kids.” Written at a higher level, this book will appeal to the teens who want to cut to the chase and just take in the facts, ones who are too distracted by colors and graphics to enjoy Down-to-Earth. There is a fair amount of overlap in the scientific content as the subject is the same and is written by the same author. However, the differences in book formats make this as necessary in a collection as the other. Further, this book contains a great deal of “activist” perspective not found in the previously mentioned book and will give a great deal of “food for thought” to gen-green.
Spanning just 48 pages of text, this book is a fast read for most middle and high school students. The resource list found in the back is extensive and includes books, DVD’s, web sites, and environmental groups with contact information.
In addition to the previously listed authority of the author and her consultants, this book contains a great deal of commentary from respected politicians and pop culture icons that teens will be drawn to. It is the perfect companion to Down-to-Earth, and it is a necessary component of any YA global warming collection.
De Rothschild, David. The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climat Change--or Live Through it. United Kingdom: Butler and Tanner, Ltd., 2007
This book, as the title suggests, is less about the scientific aspects of global warming and more about what we can do to combat it. The sub-title will be the grabber for your students as everyone wants what’s-in-it-for-me information. This compact handbook is graphic-rich, but don’t let it full you: the content is mature. Suggestions such as “Convince a Skeptic” and “Adopt a Glacier” will not be fully realized by a younger audience; thus, it becomes clear quickly that this visual book is truly written for the older teenage audience.
Like Down-to-Earth, this book will appeal to the visual student. The layout of the text is largely broken up by colored boxes, and many sections include process lists, question and answer boxes, labeled diagrams, or step-by step how-to illustrations. No photographs are included, and all are illustrated in a similar style and color scheme.
The author, David De Rothschild, is the founder of Adventure Ecology. According to the book, this organization is a “youth movement that provides an inspirational platform for change, community, and action on global warming.” The influence of this concept is obvious as you read through its pages, and the youth readers will soak up its suggestions like the sun.
Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth: the Crisis of Global Warming. New York: Penguin Group. 2006.
This youth adaptation of the adult bestseller will serve as an excellent tool of information, intrigue, and awareness for its middle and high school readers. The language is clear and not excessively scientific, so students will find it readable. The book is divided into fourteen moderate-length chapters, all of which contain numerous, large, full-color photographs, charts, and diagrams. These will appeal to the visual learners as well as those who prefer rich text.
The credits for this book are too numerous to count. Gore cites scientists, researchers, and organizations across the globe for their contributions to his book. Gore, himself, is a Harvard grad whose eyes were opened to the problem of global warming back in 1968. He mentions in his introduction that in his “twenty-four years in government and now as a private citizen, [he has] always worked to alert people to the dangers of global warming and help figure out how to stop it.”
Not only will students devour Gore’s teen-appropriate adaptation, but teachers will find it useful as a classroom tool. There are a number of curricular ties to the book’s content, and sections of the available DVD may be shown as a means to break down more complex information. No middle or high school library should be without this powerful learning resource.
Bibliography
Climate Change. March 25, 2009. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ (accessed March 31, 2009).David, Laurie and Cambria Gordon. The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. New York: Scholastic, 2007.
David, Laurie. The Solution is You. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Books, 2006.
De Rothschild, David. The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. United Kingdom: Butler and Tanner, Ltd., 2007.
Gore, Al. An inconvenient truth: the crisis of global warming. New York: Penguin Group, 2006.
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