"The bear runs.
I just freeze.
Totally.
I just ... watch.
It's fast.
And lumbering.
It's fast and lumbering
at the same time.
But there's nothing to do.
Unless."
This book, created by the same team who brought readers a graphic novel about the many crises and complications facing undocumented immigrants (Illegal, Sourcebooks, 2018), have turned their attention to today's very real problems caused by global warming. Their focus is on two young people and each one's personal perspective, told in alternating chapters: Sami lives in a fishing village in the Bay of Bengal, and Yuki's home is in the Arctic Circle. Both have grave concerns about their homes and the threats to their environments. To say they are brave is understated. They are brave to the point of putting their lives in danger to make a difference where they live. Those who love them come close to losing them.
Readers will not forget the dangers faced, or the severity of the issues that cause them to take things into their own hands. Sami (12) and his grandfather fish in the Indian Ocean, a habitat that is threatened with rising sea levels. They continue to live in this beautiful place, while catches grow smaller even though they work harder. Suki (14) is very concerned about how the melting ice is affecting her beloved polar bears, who need ice to hunt. With less ice cover, the bears are hungrier all the time and therefore, often more dangerous.
The story is action-filled. Sami and his grandfather are attacked by pirates just before their village is destroyed by a mud slide. Yuki gets caught on ice floe after being attacked by a grolar (a hybrid mix of grizzly and polar bears). The authors keep the telling sparse, yet compelling. Mr. Rigano assures full attention throughout in vigorous and beautiful illustrations that speak to the awesome wonder of both settings and the destruction caused by warming waters. It is not surprising to learn that these young people want to preserve what they have and love.
Backmatter does an excellent job summarizing global warming and its negative effects.
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