Hello, Mr World

Mr World is not feeling well. The children have decided to act as doctors today to try and diagnose the problem and help him to feel better. The world's symptoms appear to be that he is hot and sweaty and finding it hard to breath. The children's advice is for the world to get straight to bed, for a good rest. When they take the world's temperature, they find it is far to high, no wonder he was feeling hot and sweaty. The colder regions are too warm, snow is melting; The animals in the polar territories are in immediate danger and soon they will have no where to live. Mr World also has a cough, his breathing isn't good at all. An X-ray shows that the world is full of smoke and fumes. The prognosis for planet earth isn't good. Mr World wants to get better but cannot do it alone. The wonderful things of the earth; animals, plants and trees, need to be taken care of. The children promise to help, as do hundreds of others, as they are the future too, and they need a planet to live on. This book beautifully highlights the impact climate change is having on our planet and in a non-preachy way encourages us to make a change in the way we live in order to try and lesson its impact. Michael Foreman outlines some of the simple things we can do to help Mr World feels better, such as turning off lights, walking or cycling, turning off the tap when we brush our teeth. A beautifully simple book with an essential message for us all - we need to look after our planet! The characters in the book represent us all, highlighting the responsibility we all have to look after our world. However, the use of childlike characters also demonstrates the impact even the youngest members of our society can have on climate change. The message of this book is for everyone, but delivered simply to the very youngest readers - the next generation. Micheal Foreman's beautiful pencil and watercolour illustrations will appeal to those readers, as will the straightforward text. This book is perfect for environmentally conscious families and would be particularly useful in schools, for younger classes, to introduce the topic of climate change. Picture book / Ages 4+ / Reviewed by Emily Beale, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 3+