Meltdown: Why the Glaciers Are Disappearing and What You Can Do About It - Anita Sanchez

Author: Anita Sanchez

Illustrator: Lily Padula

Genre: Children's Nonfiction, Environment

Rating: 5 stars.

No two ways about it. This is a book everyone ought to read.

All of us have heard of climate change. A few of us don’t believe in it. Some of us feel that it is not happening in “our country” so we don’t need to worry about it. Many of us know its dangers and are trying to do our little bit to combat the crisis. Each of us needs this book.

As climate change first came into focus as “global warming”, the focus stayed on rising temperatures. This increase in the scale impacted the entire world, including the areas where glaciers abide. The meltdown of glaciers is NOT something that will affect only those areas but will create repercussions throughout the world. We’ve already seen some signs of the disaster to come – extreme rainstorms, droughts, snowstorms, forest fires… the world is in crisis.

This book shows how glaciers impact all of us, whether we live near one or not. The content is excellently organised into easy-to-understand chapters and subsections with clear headings, loads of charts and illustrations and photos, accompanying definitions, and a detailed glossary at the end. In one word, the book is ‘comprehensive’!

Middle graders will find the book fairly absorbing as it explains the topics so well. There are a few tough words but the provided meanings help tremendously. Younger children might not understand the nitty-gritties of the topic but they can use the pictorial accompaniments to increase their knowledge.

I was happy to see the book acknowledge that the US is one of the worst offenders when it comes to environmental pollution, right up there with China. Fingers are usually pointed only at developing countries when it comes to implementing climate-friendly measures. The US has always set an example to the world in many things. I hope it can be an inspiration when it comes to climate change as well and begins leading by example right down to the individual level.

The intent of the book is to make us all ‘glacier-literate’ and it certainly succeeds in this. Even as an adult who is aware of climate change, I learnt a lot from the book.

If you think that staying in a tropical zone will keep you safe from glacier melt or that staying in a first world country ensures that you don’t have to worry about climate disasters, you are undeniably wrong. We are all in this together. Rich, poor, developed, developing, polar, tropical, coastal, desert, island, landlocked,… no country can afford to ignore the warning signs Mother Earth is sending us desperately.

Yes, you guessed right. The book shows a scary picture of the future. We don’t have the benefit of relying on future generations to clean up our mess. The warning bells have already rung. Thankfully, the book doesn’t end on a bleak note. There are also some suggestions on how we can reduce our carbon footprint and make a difference, whether big or small, towards better environmental habits. Each of us can take action, needs to take action, MUST take action, ASAP!

Will this book be useful in a home/school/library? Yes, to all three.

Should this book be considered a must-read nonfiction for middle graders? Yes.

Should it only be for middle-graders? No. A lot of children are quite aware nowadays when it comes to climate change, but adults still act like ostriches with their heads in the sand. Get this book in the hands of every idiot who claims that climate change is a myth perpetrated by governments and scientists to boost some ulterior agenda.

It is already late for preventive action. Better not wait till it is too late even for curative action. If we want our children to have a decent future on this planet, we all need to change our habits and think greener. The first step towards this will be through awareness of the extent of the problem, and that’s where this book will come in mighty handy.

My thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for the DRC of “Meltdown”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.