Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment. Written by Megan Clendenan and illustrated by Julie McLaughlin. Orca Book Publishers, 2022. $24.95 ages 10 and up

 

"I'm taking action on climate change 
because I have to. I can't live my life 
as normal when nothing about our 
climate is normal. I feel the effects 
of climate change every day, yet in 
comparison to the rest of the world
I have it good. For me, fighting for 
climate change is about fighting 
for human rights. 

                           Cecelia, 15, Toronto" 

Megan Clendenan is a proponent for making changes in the world that make lives better. In this book, she makes a clear plea for her readers to think about their right to a healthy environment. Each one of them has the right to clear air, clean water and healthy soil. In too many places, that is not the case. 

Four chapters focus on our shared earth, the power of words, cooperation, and creating change. She emphasizes the power that fresh air and nature have on our well-being. Patients housed in hospital  rooms with a window heal faster following surgery, if they can see the view. There are obvious problems that must be dealt with if we want a healthier lifestyle. Much of what happens to affect where we live has real consequences for humans as well. 

 Awareness has been growing that laws and regulations are needed to force countries to deal with the changes that are affecting the way we live and flourish. The world must come together to make needed changes, as worries grow. In the last chapter, she profiles young people who are forcing change with their demands for clean air, water and soil. They can, and will, bring change. 

Ms. Clendenan's text is clear and accessible for her middle grade audience. Personal stories are effective and encourage action. Fact boxes and sidebars are an integral part of the total text. Full-color artwork and captioned photographs add to the learning. Readers are asked to clearly consider what they can do to bring change. That is what the THINK series is meant to do. Readers are encouraged to listen, question, connect, and help make change for a better future. This is an excellent addition to the series. 

Here's a sobering thought:

An estimated 20 million people per year become climate migrants.

Despite many of the dire facts presented, readers will come away from the reading with hope that they can be part of the changes needed to bring a better future. When we are in it together, we can make a difference.