Saint John Grade 11 students write children's book on climate change

Three high school students in Saint John wanted to bring their message of fighting climate change to a younger audience — so they wrote a children's book.

Keeping it Cool was created by the Grade 11 students in the climate action group at Harbour View High School as part of a project. 

Claire Malco, the book's illustrator, remembers when their order of 12 copies first arrived.

"I just sat there with my mouth open and was like, 'wow, this is actually happening,'" Malco said.

Joanna Jackson and Olivia Jordan are the book's co-authors.

Age-appropriate analogies throughout the colourfully illustrated book are used to promote tangible actions kids can take against climate change. To explain the concept of the atmosphere, for example, the young authors used a drawing of a bubble around the earth throughout the story.

The pair researched how to use literature to discuss difficult topics with a younger audience and wrote the book in a way that appeals to kids.

"The entire second half of the book is just things kids can do without needing their parents' support … we wanted it to be something that every kid could accomplish," Jordan said.

Calls to action include planting trees and vegetable gardens — explaining how plants absorb CO2 from the bubble atmosphere just like a vacuum cleaner. The book also tells kids how they can avoid polluting the bubble by trying to walk, bike or scoot instead of taking a car or bus.

"The topics we discussed, we wanted to provide [a younger audience] with solutions, not just the daunting subject of climate change, which can be hard for kids to understand, so we provide them with solutions to make it a more positive experience," Jackson said. 

On Earth Day, the students visited a local elementary school to share the story with students and hold discussions with every class. The group plans to continue visiting schools throughout June. 

The students eventually want to find a publisher to work with so their book can be distributed to elementary schools across the province. 

Malco has printed out her own artwork before, but said illustrating a book feels more rewarding "because we're helping teach younger minds."

Support for the Project

Funding for the first copies came from Learning for a Sustainable Future, a Toronto-based charity that works to integrate sustainability education into Canadian public schools. 

"Without this, we would not have been able to purchase as many physical copies of the book as we were able to," Jordan said. 

Bri Durant is the faculty advisor for the school's climate action group and supervisor for the Keeping it Cool book project.

Durant said a lot of time students do the project and move on, "but Joanna, Olivia and Claire have really taken the opportunity to expand it" by going to elementary schools and St. Thomas University to meet with teachers to develop the project.

"They've really taken it and [run] with it."