UNDER THE WEATHER
Edited by Tony Bradman
A delightful book, a frightening book, an inspiring book - and a wake-up call. But there's never a dull moment. On the contrary, you will be fascinated by these seven short stories, written by seven outstanding children's authors. The scenarios are as far afield as Canada, the Philippines, Australia and the U.K. It is primarily for children but adults can enjoy and benefit from it too.
The authors are never pedantic, never lecture but the message is there. Get up and DO something or our descendants are doomed.
There's the boy on an island in the Philippines who gets coins from tourists by building interesting sandcastles. But tourism is threatened firstly, by the disappearance of the reef due to pollution and then the whole island because of rising tides.
The next story is in Canada, where a young girl is horrified to discover that climate change is leading to the disappearance of her beloved beluga whales (sea canaries). Then there's the plight of the disappearing bees, whose spreading of pollen guarantees the proliferation of all plant life. In Sri Lanka, due to pollution, mosquitoes are increasingly causing sickness and death. The tundra, too, is in danger, as explained in another story.
The heartening thing about all these tales, is the ingenuity of the local children, determined to play their part in saving the planet. One example is of a team of boys who acquire bicycles and ride to school , refusing to travel in their parents cars.
Read and enjoy and, perhaps, be inspired to play your part in this vital struggle too.