Planet Power

K-Gr 2–This title presents climate change conversations to children in a way that can help them process the planet’s current state, find real-world examples of solutions, and get answers to their questions about solar power, fossil fuels, hydropower, and more. In colorful illustrations serving as artful recreations of global locations and as informational scientific diagrams, readers are invited into the science of climate change research. The book begins with an illustrated view of the world and spends the remainder of the text hopping from place to place and visiting researchers in different locales. These scientists study a particular means of planet power: hydro, solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, and wave. Each of these researchers is introduced later in short biographies, humanizing science and inspiring young readers to pursue planet power projects of their own. The book’s structure relies on terminology to tell the story of planet power, introducing kids to the ways they might experience this power in their everyday worlds (e.g., rain or rivers; sunshine; tides; swimming fish), and how these experiences relate to renewable energy. Concepts briefly introduced earlier in the book, typically written in clear prose or rhymed stanzas, are supplemented with detailed information and resources for further exploration in the final pages. This book is of interest across various reading levels, with rhymed reading for storytelling and bibliographic material for those seeking additional information