Save Our Forest!

By Author / Illustrator

Nora Dasnes

Genre

Environment & Nature

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Farshore

ISBN

9780008653781

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

29-08-2024

Synopsis

A story about being big enough to understand what needs to be done, but too young to be taken seriously.

When Bao finds out that the adults have decided to turn her beloved forest - the Bog - into a car park, she realises that she's the one who must act! With her best friends Tuva and Linnea by her side, Bao organises a protest. Do Abdi and the other boys at school really understand why it's so important to save the forest? And how do you make the adults understand the seriousness of the situation when you're 12 years old?

Save Our Forest! is a stand-alone follow-up to the acclaimed and awarded Cross my Heart and Never Lie.

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Reviews

Save Our Forest! is an inspiring graphic novel. Bao, our main character, discovers that the forest they play in is about to be turned into an extended school car park. She attempts to go through the right channels to save their forest but when this doesn't work, the friends club together and resort to organised civil disobedience.

Reading Save Our Forest took me back to my childhood, a time when I was really concerned about the environment and the impact of climate change. Bao is passionate about her cause; it is great to see the impact that one child can have upon the community that they live in. I really like her determination.

This is a very contemporary read, with their TikTok-style dance routines and social media campaigning. Save our Forest! is a school story with an important environmental and political message, and it is beautifully illustrated throughout. There is also a guide to being heard in the back of the book and explanations on where opinions should be shared to help change society.

Save Our Forest! is an empowering, authentic read aimed at a middle grade audience. It was lovely to see the friends working together, each contributing in their different way and celebrating their individual talents. I particularly enjoyed the way the community pulled together.

240 pages / Reviewed by Clair Bossons