A Warmer World: From Polar Bears to Butterflies, How Climate Change Affects Wildlife
by Caroline Arnold
illustrated (beautifully!) by Jamie Hogan
(Charlesbridge, 2012)
I really enjoyed this beautiful book. One of the things I love most about it is that it is not alarmist. It does show the devastating effects of global warming, but it also points out that climate change, while fatal to some populations, simply makes other populations change their location.
For instance, gentoo penguins didn’t live on the Antarctic Peninsula because it was too cold. Now more than 2,000 pairs of gentoos nest there. The negative effects far outweigh the positives (the gentoos nest where Adelie penguins used to live, but they are dying out as a result of global warming), but it’s interesting to read both sides of the issue. It makes it even more clear how interdependent our species are and how much even tiny climate changes affect our world.
By pointing out how some species adapt to climate change, it makes me trust even more the overall message of the terrible effects that continued warming will have on our world. I also appreciate how clearly the facts are presented. Global warming has happened before, many times. That’s a common argument against the concept of global warming being a bad thing. But Arnold tells us that the speed of this cycle (relatively speaking) is the problem. Animal populations can’t evolve fast enough to survive.
Section introductions like “Disappearing Ice” introduce an effect of increasing temps. Then graphics of torn-out notebook pages focus on one animal each. Each page tells how that animal is adapted for its current location and climate and how climate change is affecting it. So notebook pages for Polar Bears, Walruses, Penguins, and Krill follow the “Disappearing Ice” intro.
The illos in charcoal pencil and pastel are stunning.
(Review copy of A Warmer World?provided by publisher)
The Nonfiction Detectives have the Nonfiction Monday roundup today. Go learn something great!
I’m glad to hear that there are illustrations rather than photographs in the book. Will have to check this one out. Sounds like a must-have in libraries.
The illustrations are so beautiful. Ironically, the beauty is a great counterpoint to the drastic danger/effects in the text.
I’m glad to hear that there are illustrations rather than photographs in the book. Will have to check this one out. Sounds like a must-have in libraries.
The illustrations are so beautiful. Ironically, the beauty is a great counterpoint to the drastic danger/effects in the text.