Change in the Air: Carbon, Climate, Earth, and Us

Change Is in the Air: Carbon, Climate, Earth, and Us is an informational picture book that tackles climate change and the efforts to reduce carbon in the atmosphere in a clear, concise manner that is able to balance an honest discussion of the problem while retaining a hopeful tone.

Change Is in the Air has a broad reach in its readership and will be useful to start discussions in classrooms and at home. The layout of this book is well-designed. It is easy to read aloud, with concise text and only a few well-considered sentences per page. Debbie Levy explains what carbon is, how carbon has become a problem in the atmosphere, describes how kelp, mangroves, and soil work to capture carbon, then discusses how humans can help the problem. The text relies on Alex Boersma’s scientific illustrations to add detail and provide examples. For older readers, or those wanting to know more, the endpapers are full of text expanding on the concepts in the book, first about carbon and the greenhouse effect, and then exploring “How are we helping the Earth help us?”. There is also a full page text author’s note that goes into the problem and how we can combat climate change. The author provides a sampling of selected sources so readers can learn more, many of which would be great for teachers to incorporate with older students going in depth on the topic.

Change Is in the Air tackles an important subject in a clear, thoughtful format and is an excellent resource for young readers.