Award-winning Australian children’s book author and long time climate activist, Carole Wilkinson has teamed up with Wild Dog Books to write a book for children about climate change.

Earth Matters: Loving our Planet, sets out issues and solutions with beautiful illustrations by Hilary Cresp.

The book explains the science of climate change in a child-friendly way, combating any feelings of anxiety children can suffer from when viewing images on the news, such as the recent floods and droughts of recent times.

From explaining our atmosphere to the overuse of fossil fuels, the increase in greenhouse gases to global warming, Ms Wilkinson covers the issues currently facing our modern planet.

“We can’t shield children from knowledge of climate change. They will hear about it at school; they might see it mentioned on television and see upsetting images of sick or injured animals. They will experience the effects of climate change as they live through heatwaves and bushfires (experiencing bushfire smoke even if they live hundreds of kilometres away).”

“It’s understandable that parents and teachers want to protect children from distress but avoiding speaking about climate change could also lead to anxiety and fear as children struggle to understand the fragments of information they pick up.”

“I felt that I had to write this book to help educators and parents explain climate change to children.”

The book is interspersed with information about what children can do about these problems.

Ms Wilkinson thinks it will provide something for parents as well.

“Parents are busy people, and they don’t always have time to research and educate themselves, so I trust my book can help do that”

“I hope that families will read it together and parents (and teachers) will gain some basic information to help them explain climate change to children, encouraging them to model sustainable behaviour at home and at school, so that children learn how to consume less, to make compost and think carefully about the things they buy and request for gifts.”

“These shared activities can provide opportunities to explain how their actions will improve our environment and make the climate safer.”

Ms Wilkinson said the book is about empowerment through knowledge and actions, enabling children to reduce the effects of climate change. “It is a way of turning children’s concerns about climate change into positive activities that can lead to hope,” she said.

“I hope the knowledge in this book will have a ripple effect. Every person, young or old, has the potential to influence others to change their behaviour and live more sustainably.”

“I hope, that for this Earth Day, every parent and teacher grabs and copy of this book and ensures kids are taught what they need to know about bringing climate change action into the future”.

You can buy or order the book from Where the Wild Things Are Bookshop in Boundary Street, West End.