Planet SOS: 22 Modern Monsters Threatening Our Environment (and What You Can Do To Defeat Them!)

Gr 6 Up–Rohde presents a call to children to save the world from 22 “monsters.” Each monster is given a name representing the problem: Atmosdragon (global warming); the Logre (deforestation); the Noisybird (noise pollution); the Grublin (food waste). On each double-page spread, the personified beast explains what he is doing to destroy the planet and what is preventing him from inflicting further havoc. In the bottom corner, a “Monster Card” describes the actions people need to stop doing to preserve the planet (population growth, buying new things, eating meat and dairy, using nuclear energy). The key also lists steps they need to take (recycle, mend items instead of discarding them, save water). The recommendations change depending on the monster. There is also a brief reference to a mythical creature; the Plaken (plastic floating in the ocean) is compared to the Kraken. The full-page illustrations are rendered in muted, soft earth tones of blues, grays, and browns. A fold-out end page shows which areas of the world are impacted the most. End pages include a compilation of the “Monster Cards” and illustrations of kids depicting simple ways to fight these beasts.