I Have the Right to Save My Planet

by Alain Serres, Aurélia Fronty (Illustrator), Shelley Tanaka (Translator)

Overview

From the author and illustrator duo who created the award-winning I Have the Right to Be a Child comes this beautifully illustrated picture book about a child’s right to advocate for the environment they live in.

All children have the right to learn about the world, to celebrate the water, air and sunshine, and to be curious about the animals and plants that live on our planet. All children also have the right to learn about endangered species, to be concerned about plastic in the ocean, and to understand what a changing climate means for our Earth.

Scientists tell us that every living thing is connected. When we cut down forests, we destroy animal habitats. When we throw plastic in the garbage, it never really goes away. When we spray pesticides on our fruit and vegetables, we poison the earth, animals and ourselves.

What can children do to help? All children can draw posters of endangered animals to raise awareness. All children can send a letter to the leader of their country, signed by every member of their family. All children can protest along with their parents. Children have the right to do all these things as proclaimed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. All children have the right to try to help our Earth, in whatever ways they can.

Told from the perspective of a child, this colorful and vibrant book explores what it means to be a child who dreams of a beautiful future for their planet.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6
Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773064871
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Series:	I Have the Right , #2
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,076,493
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

ALAIN SERRES was once a kindergarten teacher who was inspired by his young students to write children’s books. He has since published more than one hundred titles for children of all ages, many of which have been translated into other languages. Alain founded the highly regarded French publishing house Rue du Monde, whose mission is to provide children with books that allow them to question and imagine the world. He lives in Voisins-le-Bretonneux, France.

AURÉLIA FRONTY studied textile design at l'école Duperré in Paris before she began to illustrate children's books. Her colorful, naïve-style art is inspired by her Catalan roots as well as her travels in Africa and Asia. She has illustrated more than forty titles, which have been published around the world. She has also exhibited her art in France and in the United Kingdom. She lives in Paris, France.

SHELLEY TANAKA is an award-winning author, translator and editor who has written and translated more than thirty books for children and young adults. She teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Shelley lives in Kingston, Ontario.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for author Alain Serres and illustrator Aurélia Fronty for I Have the Right to Save My Planet:

"Educators and conscientious older readers will perhaps best appreciate this wordy tome, and may find the book’s actionable suggestions galvanizing." — Publishers Weekly

"A strong statement.” — Kirkus Reviews

"[A] winning addition to nonfiction collections." — Booklist

"The ideals of a healthy planet shine through in both the text and the bright, eye-catching illustrations." — School Library Journal

"Fronty’s saturated tones perfectly balance Serres’ message: be bold, be brave, take a stand, because it is your right." — CM Review of Materials

Praise for author Alain Serres and illustrator Aurélia Fronty for I Have the Right to Be a Child:

Commended IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, 2013

Commended Children’s Literature Assembly Notable Children's Book, 2013

Commended USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2013

“Provocative and guaranteed to spark awareness of children’s rights.” —Kirkus, starred review

“[A] powerful work, and a handsome one.” —Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

03/15/2021

The author-illustrator team behind I Have the Right to Be a Child returns for this companion, in which a child narrator informs readers of the dangers humans pose to the Earth—including deforestation, habitat destruction and interconnectivity, ocean pollution, pesticides, and climate change—as well as what children can do to combat these issues, framed as rights (“Even if I’m poor, I have the right to water,” Serres writes). Gouache paintings by Fronty, in an oft-abstract naïf style, feature humans of different skin tones and hair textures. Educators and conscientious older readers will perhaps best appreciate this wordy tome, and may find the book’s actionable suggestions galvanizing. Ages 4–7. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

[A] winning addition to nonfiction collections.

Booklist

Fronty’s saturated tones perfectly balance Serres’ message: be bold, be brave, take a stand, because it is your right.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

I Have the Right to Save My Planet manages to balance urgency and hope. It is a child-focused, informative, and stunning picture book for anyone looking to introduce the concept of environmental activism to young readers.

Cloud Lake Literary

Fronty’s saturated tones perfectly balance Serres’ message: be bold, be brave, take a stand, because it is your right.

CM Review of Materials

05/01/2021

Gr 2–5—When each human is born, the Earth presents its many gifts. Air, green grass, 10 million species of living things with new ones being discovered every day, all these things are given by the Earth. But if people don't take care of the Earth and its creatures, many species will disappear. The author and illustrator, who previously collaborated on I Have the Right to Be a Child, explain that each person has the right to stand up and work to protect the Earth's creatures, land, and water through acts such as protesting. Sharing resources and limiting pollution offer partial solutions to some of the problems that plague the planet. Written as a pledge to take care of the planet and with beautiful illustrations, the book highlights some of the ways the Earth is in trouble and how people can take better care of it. The ideals of a healthy planet shine through in both the text and the bright, eye-catching illustrations. VERDICT A nice addition for libraries on the importance of taking appropriate care of the Earth.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elem. Sch., Smithfield, UT

School Library Journal

2021-02-09
Children have the right to appreciate the diversity of the world, to recognize and take action against environmental threats, and to dream up imaginative ways to save the planet.

Serres, who argued powerfully for the rights enumerated in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in I Have the Right To Be a Child, also illustrated by Fronty but translated by Helen Mixter (2012), returns to contend that this treaty also gives children the right to work toward and dream about healing Earth’s ills. Fronty’s folk-style gouache paintings add color and international flavor. The smoothly translated narrative of this French import moves quickly from showing the “free!” world of nature with all its gifts to lamenting human threats: loss of plant and animal species, pollution or waste of precious water, plastic trash, chemicals in food, and climate change. Children, together, can express their anger and dream of and work for change. They can hope we can all share water, food, or other resources. In framing his argument, the author seems to recognize his leap from the relevant sections of the document regarding education that develops “respect for the natural environment” and the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. He interprets the statement that “A child’s best interests must always be respected” as including “respecting the child’s magnificent home—the Earth!” He doesn’t include citations from the document nor the sad fact that the U.S. is the only major U.N. country that is not a party. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

A strong statement. (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews