Caroline Paul, (text), and Lauren Tamaki, (illustrator), You are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World, Bloomsbury Publishing, July 2018, 114 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 97816811198224
This book is based on the reasonable idea that kids have the power to change the world. It is a how-to manual on being an activist. So what needs changing? Well, you need only ask a six-year-old if it seems okay that each of us throws away about 85 kgs of plastic a year — much of it ending in the ocean. Three year olds are becoming vegans when they discover the mass slaughter of animals that is required to produce our chicken nuggets and beef burgers.
This book is one response to the phenomenon of Trump’s reign as President of the United States. You will learn how to make a protest banner, develop a petition, escalate a campaign, write a letter (to the President), make allies, speak in public, perform guerrilla theatre, exploit social media, write a book, use the legal system (e.g. you could sue the President for the consequences of inaction on climate change). You might need to raise money for a cause. You might want to work on replacing cane sugar with pure honey. You might want to join with ‘climate change kids’.
In all, there are 19 possible tactics for a kid to consider. A great gift to any child who is showing signs of understanding what a challenge the future will be.
Recommended for readers 10 to 100 years old.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
