Saving Earth dives into the climate change and greenhouse effect that scientists have been aware of for decades. Yes, decades of knowledge and very little action taken to actually slow down or reverse what is happening to our planet due largely to politics. This book serves as a call to action for children. Giving examples of young people who have had huge impacts on their communities and government shows readers that they too can make a difference, not just one day - but today.

I love how this book highlights how kids have helped make a difference in the environment, such as the styrofoam out of schools initiative. I also appreciate how it includes resources and steps for kids dealing with anxiety from global warming and grief from environmental loss. Let's face it, this is a very big and impactful crisis that causes a lot of feelings. Rhuday-Perkovich doesn't leave you feeling hopeless about climate change but emphasizes how important it is to act now. There's also a large focus on discriminatory environmental practices and policies and how they disproportionately affect BIPOC, a topic that really needs to be brought to light and changed.

Keywords are also defined as you read, making it perfectly understandable for middle schoolers. The illustrations peppered throughout the book have a wonderful and engaging drawing style. It does spend a lot of time on the political history of climate change, but I feel it's needed to fully see the whole issue and how to begin fixing it. I think overall Saving Earth is very relatable for the target audience and serves to inspire.

Actual Rating 4.5 Stars. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.