Cover Image: You Can Change the World

You Can Change the World

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Member Reviews

Absolutely loved the message, so important for kids to hear.

As a bookseller I noticed a huge increase in the ecological awareness of our small customers, and a need from teachers to have books that match that interest. This book perfectly meets that commercial need

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Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book! So awesome and I have a ton of kids I want to get this for!

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This was a sweet, funny book with lots of very good information. My son enjoyed reading it too! This is definitely on our “to buy” list.

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You can change the world by Lucy Bell is a practical guide for living a lower carbon footprint life.⠀

The book is aimed towards middle-graders and provides suggestions about sustainable living. The topics include reducing plastic, waste, and food, environmentally friendly clothing, how to lower the usage of energy, electricity, and water, and also grow your own indoor/outdoor garden.⠀

The book also features interviews with children who are doing something for the planet. The illustrations throughout the book are catchy and make the book an engaging read. After reading this book, I decided to lower the use of plastic, reduce food wastage, and the use of paper towels. I am also doing the laundry with cold water to save energy.⠀

Let’s start the new year with our planet in mind. Thank you to @netgalley and @andrewsmcmeel for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. ⠀

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Did you know there are more plastic flamingos in the world than real ones? (p.21)

You Can Change the World is a well-written and practical guide, aimed at middle-grade aged children, to educate themselves and take action for a sustainable future. While not explicitly stated, the book embraces the concept of "Think Global, Act Local", and provides numerous suggestions for ways that children can both reduce their own negative impact on the environment and encourage others to do likewise.
The books covers a wide range of subject matter, including reducing use of plastics, ethical and environmentally friendly clothing choices, recycling, food waste, energy, electricty and water usage and conservation, animal activism and acts of kindness. Most chapters feature a short biography or Q&A with a young champion in that particular area, showcasing what amazing things children can achieve, but also making clear how all children can embrace these principles.
The book is illustrated throughout with colourful drawings in the naïf style. Chapters are also illustrated and bordered in different colours, helping effectively differentiate the information for younger readers.
A short section at the end of the book suggests group activity ideas to embrace concepts discussed in the book. There is also a comprehensive resources list, including many useful website addresses.
My only disappointment while reading You Can Change the World is that, while the author Lucy Bell and many of the featured environmental champions are Australian, the book is clearly aimed at an American audience. Spellings, terminology and measurements are all according to US norms, and virtually all the websites listed in the resources section are US-based. I would love to see an Australian or even a more globally-relevant edition published in the future.
My thanks to the author, Lucy Bell, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

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There are an increasing number of books for kids about activism. It can be hard for kids to know how to make a difference. I like that this guide focuses on small changes. Big change can be discouraging. The tips in this book are very accessible. Many can be done in minutes. There is a large focus on setting achievable goals.

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Disclaimer: I received this book for review in exchange of my honest opinion.

This book is everything I wanted in a book about the climate crisis we are in and about how we can do small changes to help the world - and this book is for kids and it does a great job at explaining things in short simple terms. It does an even better job at being inspiring!

My main issue with it was that most of the data and statistic are US-centered, of course. But what I loved is that the people who are already doing great things to change the world were from all over the world - and those kids had some bright ideas to help our planet!

A great read for all kids and parents alike!

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A very great introduction to live consciously, to be kinder to our planet. It shows you facts and also practical tips on how to join in the wagon to take care of our planet. It is colorful, and I think a lot of kids would find this really interesting :) I highly recommended! I mean, as an adult, I truly enjoy this one even though I already know some of the topics, and yet I still managed to find something new to learn!
Would def purchase this for myself and for gifts to friends!

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This is a great book for both children and adults to read. It tackles different problems that we are experiencing worldwide because of our ignorance and apathy in taking care of our planet. I loved all the anecdotes from different children all over the world who are environmental activists and an inspiration as such a young age. I hope more people are able to read this because I know everyone will get something from this book. I also like the idea of putting tips on how to do this and that since it's a great starting point for everyone. And I can really feel the author's passion to spread awareness and help change the world by starting with ourselves.

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This is a really inspirational book with good tips to start reducing your own ecological footprint and to make the world a little bit better. I think it is worth a read both by children and adults!

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This was such a fun and informative book for really people of any age not just children. It was beautifully written and the illustrations throughout were great. I loved that it was chock-full of activities to start on a path to better take care of our planet.

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An informative and educative guide that kids can follow in helping to change the world, all through recycling. It also edifies us about the usage and danger of plastic, to the world its oceans, fishes, and mammals, not forgetting the coral reefs. It is a guide on how to become more eco-friendly and conscious of our surroundings. This book is pack full of knowledge and lessons on how to be eco-friendly and to take care of our world.

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This was such a fun and informative book for kids (and some adults). It was beautifully designed and packed with information that was useful and made it seem possible that our small contributions mean something. This should definitely be on any kid's bookshelf.

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What a great book! Bell gives helpful tips for kids showing how we can preserve our environment. I would recommend this for any classroom as a resource for students to understand numerous methods that we both on the individual and collective level can make a positive impact on our planet. Many thanks to A NetGalley for the copy.

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**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

Lots of great facts, nice illustrations. It's a great guide for getting started on making the earth a cleaner, greener place to live.

I like that it's broken down into sections. The way it's broken down makes it easier to tackle one task at a time and it doesn't seem overwhelming and leaving you wondering where to start. Would be a great book for schools and libraries alike, and though it's listed as children's nonfiction, it would be a good book for adults who want to know more but don't like wordier books and articles.

There was a lot of text on some pages, making it feel a bit cramped, but overall, 4/5 for a job well done!

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Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is what engaging non-fiction texts should be about! I would recommend this book for fourth to seventh grade readers. I love the visual aspects of th ebook with the patterned fun fact pages. Also, the pages are color coded based on the topic. Another aspect of this book that I love is the interviews with the different children around the world, Very rarely do children read an interview, much less, from someone within their age group. Finally, I love how there are suggestions on how to be more environmentally friendly with explicit, easy to follow directions.

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You Can Change the World: The Kids' Guide to a Better Planet is a small book packed with a powerful message. This book shows children that anyone can make a difference in the world. It is colorfully illustrated and packed with information, ideas, and activities for everyday sustainability.

This book is truly a wonderful and informative resource for children and adults alike. I personally had no idea that I used so much plastic! There are so many small things that we can do everyday to keep our planet thriving and beautiful.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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What a fantastic book! This would be a great addition to any library, as a wonderful and comprehensive introduction to waste, sustainability and reducing the negative impact on the world. A must-read for all childen.

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This is just an incredible books everybody NEED to read, it's not for childer only!! It's highly informative and filled with interesting facts and colorful illustrations. There's suggestions on how to eliminate single use plastics, avoiding fast fashion, and even eating less meat and dairy, and much more.
Loved the illustrations a lot, I think they keep the reader engaged.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this eARC.

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This book is the need of time.If we want to bring change ,we need to start educating our children.Today's aware children will become tomorrow's responsible citizens.So this book plays an important role in giving information about decaying situation of our environment in the hands of humans and how small can impact in large .
Very interesting and easy language for children's interest.
Highly recommended for school libraries and classrooms.

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