What Your Child Needs to Know About Global Warming

(Last Updated On: August 1, 2021)

 

Make your child understand Climate Change

 

I have written a couple of posts on Global Warming and the effect it has on our climate. We are already experiencing climate change and slowly but surely many people are waking up to this fact.

The ice is melting and changing the habitat of a lot of animals. The melting of the ice releases some not-so-pleasant surprises. Bacteria and viruses which have been frozen and dormant for millennia are suddenly set free. Methane is bubbling up from lakes close to the arctic circle posing a more rapid increase in greenhouse gases causing more global warming.

 

 

How the weather is changing

Somewhere else in our world, islands get flooded because of rising water levels, and the people who lived there for many generations have no option but to leave. We can observe extreme weather conditions worldwide.

From more devastating hurricanes and typhoons to massive forest fires in Europe, the U.S., and Australia. Wherever you look, our so-called pleasant climate seems to disappear, going from one extreme to the other.

 

 

We have a responsibility to take care of the planet

We, grown-ups, are watching and trying to cope,  hoping there would be solutions to at least mitigate these extremes, but it seems that adults cannot agree on taking global action. Too many interests interfere and it is obvious with our passivity, we will get nowhere like this. The consequences for this passivity will cost us all dearly.

What will we leave for future generations? Will we leave a dead and suffocating environment? How will future generations think about us, their ancestors?

The small children will be grown-ups in 20 to 30 years and will wish to form their own families. Will they be able to do this?

 

 

Information from Sierraclub.org

Recently I came across a newsletter from Sierraclub.org, which made me think about this. The children of our times hear the words Global Warming and Climate Change constantly in the conversations of their parents and other family members.

On TV, it is also often mentioned, and it is very possible it awakes their imagination and they want to know more about all of this. It is not too easy for parents to explain this difficult and multifaceted issue. Luckily a lot of excellent books, apt for different age groups, have come on the market.

Reading to your child has multiple benefits.

 

 

By reading you learn

You might choose to read these books to your child. I remember when I was young my Mother used to read a lot to me and that cultivated my love for books. It is so cozy to curl up on the sofa and read to your child. There are also some books geared to older children that they might want to read themselves.  I will present a short list of books which might aid a child in understanding this difficult topic.

 

Have a look at this nice collection of books suitable for different ages

Ages 3-7

The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler.

It shows little children that you can do something on a personal level, like planting flower seeds in your garden. It tells about urban expansion putting in peril a flower and a backhoe trying to avoid this.

 

 

Ages 4-8

The Brilliant Deep by Kate Messner, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

Does your child like the seas? If yes, it will have heard about the coral reefs and that they are dying. In this book, you will find a powerful message. There is still hope as The Coral Restoration Foundation is working on the conservation of the reef.

 

 

Ages 5-6

Great Polar Bear by Carolyn Lesser

This book is illustrated with exquisite cut-paper collages. The writer shows its young readers how the polar bears are struggling to survive because of climate change.

 

 

Ages-6-10

Icebergs and Glaciers by Seymour Simon

The writer explains the melting of Iceland’s ice sheets and that there are countries that contemplate the use of icebergs as sources of freshwater as they are lacking rain. The melting of the ice is causing cities and towns to flood. In this book, you will find photos of places that will disappear in time.

 

 

Ages 7 and more

Look at the Weather by Britta Teckentrup

Using lovely landscape paintings to illustrate the sun showers and ocean fog, some poetic language to then continue on a factual tone explaining the ways of the rain, snow, and storms and their role in the increase of temperatures.

 

 

Ages 8-12

The End of the Wild by Nicole Helget

The leaking of Methane because of fracking is one of the factors which intensify climate change. This story is about a girl who lives in a depressed rural area where the fracking company promises jobs but at the same time causes water pollution, destroying ecosystems, and can even break relationships.

 

 

Ages 9-13

Rising Seas by Keltie Thomas

This is not a book with cheerful prognoses, it tells about the rising temperatures around the globe. From places like Miami to Kiribati to Antarctica, the water level rises. This book offers 10 ways to make a difference and most teens could feel inspired.

 

 

Ages 10 and more

When the Sky Breaks by Simon Winchester

The writer explains why monster storms like Hurricane Sandy and Cyclone Tracy form part of the global warming process. It calls for action as human behavior worsens those storms and all the other following up consequences. This is a book for those children who want an understandable scientific explanation of it all.

 

 

Ages 6-10

A place for Turtles. by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Higgins Bond.

What we do influences the lives of bats, butterflies, frogs, fish, birds, and turtles. It explains why we should protect the ecosystem as they are disappearing because of rising temperatures.

 

 

Ages 7-14

The Wolves of Currumpaw by William Grill

This is the biography of wolf hunter Ernest Thompson Seton. Then came the point in his life which brought on a change of heart about wild animals and the environment. Later on, he became the co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America. In 2013, the organization mandated that its Eagle members earn sustainability badges – a reminder of human contributions to climate change.

 

 

Ages 8-12

The Global Warming Express by Marina Weber, illustrated by Joanna Whysner.

This is a fantasy story about a group of animals that are alarmed by climate change and want to fight it. It sends a message to the young readers: If they can do it, so can you. The nine-year-old founders of Global Warming Express illustrated this tale.

 

 

Conclusion

Here are some lovely books to read from if your child is still small. For older children, they are the perfect gift for the coming holidays. Our future generation has a right to be informed about what is happening in our world, as it will be their world in the future. So buy some books for the children so they can be informed and will see their world with fresh eyes.

Before you leave, have a look at Recommendations. It is a special page I have made for you. It holds a collection of things you might find interesting.

 

Source: Lela Nargi, Aug 27, 2018, for SierraClub.org

Photo Source: Pixabay

 

Here you can read about things that are released when the ice melts.

Global Warming: some unsettling Happenings in our World