I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Annalises Cough is a children's book about the dangers of environmental damage to not only the world and nature around us but to our health too.
Annalise and her sister are best friends as well as sisters. When Annalise gets sick from exposure to the chemical smoke from a power plant in the neighbourhood they live in, both girls work together to try and get it stopped.
This is such a great book to encourage children to fight for justice and for what they believe in and to make them understand we do not have to just put up with pollution on our doorsteps .

Annalises Cough is a beautifully written and illustrated children’s and middle grade tale by DeMareon Gipson, about two young sisters who live in the inner city and unfortunately become exposed to a neighborhood waste-to-energy plant that has many of the residents sick from. As both sisters come together to save their community they learn the power of grass-roots organizing and protest, community, working for a cleaner environment, spirituality, friendship, family, and faith. Gipson does a fine job of driving home these themes and presenting a realistic view of what means to be an individual, to be a member of a community and to be an advocate of change. And with such BEAUTIFUL & NECESSARY IMAGES!!! Jessica Cosmicninja delivers illustrations in a huge way. This was the perfect pairing.

Annalises Cough is a story for Educators, Parents, Families and Children alike.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Forward Publishing House for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am mesmerized by this book. The illustration by Jessica Jones is beautiful and the story by DeMareon Gipson is powerful. Annalise’s Cough did an amazing job developing Annalise and Amira, two sisters, and representing their life. I love how it introduces the concept of community, empathy, self-worth, friendship, spirituality, environment, privilege, pollution, advocacy, and interconnectedness.

This is such a meaningful book that can open up so many discussions in the classroom. I can’t wait to discuss the mayflies with my students and explore how we can be more like them. I feel that this book can even be used by higher grades, such as 4-6, and hopefully some educators will use it and involve their students into advocacy. What a great way to honour the book by helping children critically think of their environment and start a petition to make their community better?

I am really excited for the release of Annalise’s Cough and the good it will do to everyone who reads it.

Thank you, Forward Publishing House, Demareon Gipson and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Annalise’s Cough in exchange for an honest review. #AnnalisesCough #NetGalley