Our House Is on Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet

As in Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story of Africa, Winter once again offers a stirring profile of an environmental hero, this time teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. After learning about climate change at school, Greta, a quiet girl who has felt invisible, spends hours reading and watching films "about our warming world." Overwhelmed with sadness ("She barely ate or spoke"), she devises a way to raise awareness, embarking on a school strike and ultimately sparking an international movement of children marching and speaking out for planetary health. Winter introduces the alarming facts in scenes of the young student as she views evidence of climate change--bleached coral, flooded homes, wildfires, endangered animals--in framed images, as if on a screen. As the movement takes shape, square panels, contained in white negative space, turn into full-bleed pages of high-energy activity. Taking her title from Thunberg's urgent call to action, Winter ends this timely directive for young readers with a simple, powerful question: "What will you do?" Ages 3-8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 3-Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist from Stockholm, made international headlines throughout this year. This picture book valorizes the quiet girl who began to speak out once she learned about climate change. Readers learn about Greta's awakening, including the early days of her climate strike, and her growing impact on climate conversation. The narrative invites the kind of action required to avert the worst effects of climate change. Therein lies the book's innate--and interesting--contradiction. The simple text addresses children much younger than Thunberg, who was 15 when she came to prominence. The visuals are rousing and inspiring, featuring pictures of young kids carrying signs. It sets up an expectation that everyone should do something to help mitigate climate change. This may be a lofty expectation, but it's better than expecting too little. However, the statement that "there might not be a world to live in when she grows up" is likely to inspire panic among children. At the same time, her oversimplified assertion that Thunberg was eventually asked to speak to "very important people" at the UN climate talks and at the World Economic Forum undermines the book's premise that everyone is important in this fight. The simple, vivid illustrations keep the focus on Thunberg and soften the clumsiness in the text. The memorable images can help children imagine their own activism into being. VERDICT Thunberg is an important and exciting inspiration for activists of any age. This book attempts, and sometimes fails, to balance our grim prospects against the efficacy of hopeful action. Use this book in a way that encourages discussion.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL