I Have the Right to Save My Planet, written by Alain Serres and illustrated by Aurelia Fronty. Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Groundwood, 2021. $19.95 ages 8 and up

 "Each species depends on the others.
So if a plant disappears, the insects that 

feed on its flowers will vanish, too. 
And so will the frogs that eat those insects, 
and the fish that feed on the eggs of those 
frogs ...

The great chain of life goes all the way around
the planet. 

We must not interrupt it."

This book follows I Have the Right to Be a Child, written and illustrated by the same team. It precedes a third book to be published in the fall. The author was inspired by the kindergarten children he once taught to take up writing. In his books, he gives them a voice concerning their rights in the world they inhabit.  The U.N. Convention on The Rights of the Child has many facets, all relating to the need for children to be protected and encouraged to have a voice for their place in the world. 

By exploring the many ways children can help in healing the environmental woes faced today, he shows that their love of the natural world can inspire change. He begins by speaking to the wonders of the Earth where everything in nature is FREE. There is amazing diversity in this world and children have the right to rejoice in it. 

"When it comes to nature, 
I have the right 
to everything."

He mourns, with children, the devastation and damage done through human greed and insensitivity to their own actions. He writes with a child's voice when stating the rights they have to a healthy environment. By taking action they can help to make changes for their future. They can be angry, and they can dream. They can work, and they can demand further action. By learning about the world and celebrating its many gifts, they will realize that there are steps that can, and should, be taken to improve conditions. Posters, letters, family protests, are just part of what kids can do to begin to make a difference. Children today will know far more than many adults might know when they read the exceptional books being published to help inform them about climate change, restoration efforts and having a voice. 

"Come on, humans! Time to wake up! 
Scientists are warning us that many species will 
disappear if we continue to mistreat nature. 
Plenty of them have disappeared already. 

I have the right to know that in Borneo
people are destroying rainforests to make 
room for palm trees. 
Why? Because oil from the palm fruit is an 
inexpensive ingredient used to make some 
cookies, margarine, and shower gels."