Each year since 2015, 100Grannies has been purchasing and donating books to the Iowa City School District. There are 21 elementary schools, 3 junior high schools, and 4 high schools in the district. The books are chosen by the teacher librarians at the elementary, junior high, and high schools. Each book is age appropriate for the school and has a theme relating to the environment or the earth. The teacher librarians are very grateful for our continued support. The books chosen for 2023 are:
K-6 grades
To Change a Planet by Cristina Soontornvat
Spare, poetic text and breathtaking pictures invite readers on a stirring journey that gently illuminates the causes of climate change as well as how our individual and collective actions can make the world better.
With calm, truthfulness, and beauty, To Change a Planet demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of color on every page create a stunning visual narrative that invites readers to find and follow the same characters through their daily lives and ultimately to a climate march on Washington, where their storylines converge.
Clear endnotes vetted by a climate expert answer a myriad of questions in simple language. Meticulously researched and brimming with hope and hands-on solutions that will edify and empower even the youngest readers, To Change a Planet is a loving ode to our only home and vital for every child, classroom, and family.
Ice! Poems about Polar Life by Douglas Florian
The remote North and South Poles– which poet Douglas Florian calls our “Earth refrigerator”– are home to a wide variety of unusual, rarely-seen creatures including caribou, penguins, ptarmigans, narwhals, and many more! Young readers will love learning about these polar denizens and the ways they’ve adapted to their cold, windy, frozen environments.
Whimsical, colorful art and humorous poems introduce more than a dozen polar animals, and touch on the unique characteristics of the polar regions. Funny and educational, the book ends with an inspiring call to action about climate change, reminding us of our responsibility to take care of our planet.
Ice! Poems About Polar Life explores key scientific concepts such as animal adaptation, biomes, global warming, and interdependence in poems filled with rhyme, rhythm, figurative language– and a huge dose of humor! Artist and author Douglas Florian is well-known for combining poetry, art, and science in books that have wit, imagination, and an aesthetic sensibility.
Rebel Girls Climate Warriors: 25 Tales of Women Who Protect the Earth by Cristina Mittermeier
A COMMON SENSE SELECTION (Common Sense Media)
With fairytale-like stories about Greta Thunberg, Autumn Peltier, and Rachel Carson, Rebel Girls Climate Warriors: 25 Tales of Environmental Allies spotlights the world-changing work of women on the frontlines of the fight for climate justice.
Meet conservationists, activists, water protectors, philanthropists, authors, and other women from all over the world who have stood up to polluters and used their amazing talents to protect the planet. Rebel Girls Climate Warriors is part of the award-winning Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series. It is illustrated by female and nonbinary artists from around the world.
Join Greta Thunberg for a climate strike. Plant a tree with Wangari Maathai. Stand with water protector Autumn Peltier. And turn trash into profits and independence with Isatou Ceesay. Rebel Girls Climate Warriors tells the stories of the ingenuity and commitment of these women and more, including Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, Nigerian activist Esohe Ozigbo, Indigenous Ecuadorian leader Nemonte Nenquimo, and Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom.
Unlock bonus audio stories of some of the extraordinary women and girls featured in this book on the Rebel Girls app. Whenever you come across a bookmark icon on the page, scan the QR code, and you’ll be whisked away on an audio adventure! You’ll also discover 100+ creative activities and stories of even more trailblazing women on the app.
We are Better Together by Bill McKibben
From environmentalist and bestselling author Bill McKibben comes a hopeful, inspiring picture book celebrating the power of human cooperation and the beauty of life on Earth, beautifully illustrated by artist Stevie Lewis.
When we work together, we humans can do incredible things.
We share the responsibility to address climate change and our changing planet. It is critical that we act collectively to protect our beautiful, fragile world.
Renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben and the incredibly talented artist Stevie Lewis team up to bring this gorgeous picture book to life.
Celebrating the amazing things people can do, it’s an inspiring message of hope.
Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth by Stacy McAnulty
From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator David Litchfield, Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth is a nonfiction picture book about the Earth, told from the perspective of Earth herself.
Meet Earth. Planet Awesome! And your awesome home! Actually, Earth is home to all the plants and all the animals in the solar system, including nearly eight billion people. Humans have accidentally moved Earth’s climate change into the fast lane, and she need your help to put on the brakes. Earthlings need Earth, and Earth needs Earthlings, so let’s save Earth together!
With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Earth in this next celestial “autobiography” in the Our Universe series. Rich with kid-friendly facts and beautifully brought to life by David Litchfield, this is an equally charming and irresistible picture book.
Grades 7-12
The Last Beekeeper by Pablo Cartaya
Facing a world dually altered by climate change and those who profit from it, Yolanda Cicerón will have to fight to save the last known beehive from extinction in this stirring new adventure by award-winning author Pablo Cartaya.
In a future shaken by climate disasters, Yolanda Cicerón knows that nature is something to be feared. While life in the Valley is brutal and harsh, Yoly dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo—the most advanced town for miles around. But first, Yoly will need to prove she belongs in a place where only the smartest and most useful are welcomed.
Between her razor-sharp smarts and sheer determination, Yoly is well on her way until she discovers her family can no longer afford her schooling. When forced to take matters into her own hands, the closer she gets to securing her future, the more she uncovers the dangers lying inside Silo’s walls—ones that threaten the entire Valley.
As she cracks long-guarded secrets, Yoly, along with those closest to her, is put in grave peril and the only chance of surviving may lie in the rediscovery of a long-extinct species—the honeybee. Can the last surviving beehive be the key to pulling the Valley out from under Silo’s thumb, or will they destroy what remains of Yoly’s future?
Save the People! Halting Human Extinction by Stacy McAnulty
“Save the People is engaging, funny, affecting and delightful. You’ll never have more fun learning science.” –Stuart Gibbs, bestselling author of the Spy School series
“Serious science and great gags, with a bit of hope thrown in.” –Steven Sheinkin, bestselling author of Bomb and Fallout
An action-packed look at past, present, and future threats to humanity’s survival—with an ultimately reassuring message that humans probably have a few more millennia in us.
Scientists estimate that 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. Whoa. So, it’s not unreasonable to predict humans are doomed to become fossil records as well. But what could lead to our demise? Super volcanos? Asteroids? The sun going dark? Climate change? All the above?!
Humans—with our big brains, opposable thumbs, and speedy Wi-Fi—may be capable of avoiding most of these nightmares. (The T. rex would be super jealous of our satellites.) But we’re also capable of triggering world-ending events. Learning from past catastrophes may be the best way to avoid future disasters.
Packed with science, jokes, and black and white illustrations, Save the People! examines the worst-case scenarios that could (but hopefully won’t) cause the greatest mass extinction—our own!
Science and the Skeptic: Discerning Fact from Fiction by Marc Zimmer
Fake news, pseudoscience, and quackery have become scourges, spreading through society from social media all the way to Congress.
The line between entertainment and reality, between fact and fiction, has become blurred. Some of the most crucial issues of our time―climate change, vaccines, and genetically modified organisms―have become prime targets for nefarious disinformation campaigns. Far too many people have become distrustful of real science. Even those who still trust science no longer know what to believe or how to identify the truth. Not only does this result in the devaluation and distrust of real science, but it is also dangerous: people acting based on false information can hurt themselves or those around them.
We must equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills to fight back against all this disinformation. In Science and the Skeptic: Discerning Fact from Fiction, you will learn how science is done, from the basic scientific method to the vetting process that scientific papers must go through to become published; how and why some people intentionally or unintentionally spread misinformation; and the dangers in believing and spreading false information. You’ll also find twenty easy-to-follow rules for distinguishing fake science from the real deal. Armed with this book, empower yourself with knowledge, learning what information to trust and what to dismiss as deceit.
“We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic… This is a time for facts, not fear. This is a time for rationality, not rumors. This is a time for solidarity, not stigma.”―Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO
“Our deepest beliefs should help navigate reality, not determine it.”―Michael Gersen, The Washington Post
“Journalism is very much about trying to simplify and distribute information about what’s new and where advances have been made. That’s incompatible with the scientific process, which can take a long time to build a body of evidence.”―Kelly McBride, Poynter Institute
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