The correlation between everyday actions and the environmental crisis can be a complex subject to explain to children. But the new illustrated book “Eco-Stories for My Little Friends” addresses the pressing issues in a fun and engaging way — all in an attempt to encourage youngsters to be conscious and dedicated to eco-friendly living.
“I believe children are the ones who can change our planet,” the book’s author Bogdan Krasavtsev told the Kyiv Post. “They are pure-hearted and believe in acts of kindness.”
A recent study by international scientists revealed that the planet is facing a ghastly future — mass extinction, declining health and climate devastations.
Climate change, such as heat waves, severe storms and a melting arctic, are happening already. As the planet heats up, the children of today will be the ones responsible.
Krasavtsev’s book was published in January under a non-profit community initiative called Eco Nation. The book, in Ukrainian and English languages, targets 6–10-year-olds.
Krasavtsev, 30, is a Kyiv-based journalist for 7 Channel, a media outlet owned by Odesa businessman Adnan Kivan, who also publishes the Kyiv Post.
The book was given to 90 schools and libraries in Ukraine. As a logistics partner of the publication, the Kyiv Post sent it along with its printed weekly newspaper to 36 more educational institutions that subscribe.
The book is unavailable for purchase but can be borrowed under a book-sharing initiative. A free online version will be available on the website on Feb. 28.
Future changemakers
Krasavtsev is an environmentalist. “I am very worried about the environment and want to make the world better,” he says. The author came up with the stories while spending time with his 5-year-old son.
The author wrote the 76-page book, which contains eight fairytales. All of the stories were illustrated by his cousin Oleksandra Krasavtseva.
“When they grow up, they will pass it on to their children,” he says of the book and environmental awareness.
To publish, Krasavtsev partnered with GIZ, an agency working towards sustainable development on behalf of the German government. One of GIZ’s goals is to help Ukraine increase energy efficiency and reducing consumption.
The agency funded the printing of the book’s first 1,000 copies. Besides schools and libraries all over Ukraine, Krasavtsev said copies also landed on the hands of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States and elsewhere.
The author says he has received positive responses from children applying what they have learned in the book to their daily lives, like turning off the tap while brushing their teeth or conserving electricity.
Parents have also complimented Krasavtsev’s work, expressing gratitude not only for the environmental lessons, but also for teaching English in an engaging way.
Tackling climate change
All of the characters in the stories are good-natured and pure in heart. They discover how the choices that humans make will affect the planet.
One of the tales from the book is “The Giant Boo,” featuring a boy in the eastern city of Kharkiv, who goes on an adventure with Mr. Wind. An extremely strong wind caused by a cyclone blew across the city. Boo finds out later that it’s a sign of climate change, which he realizes is the reason why the unusual weather has become more frequent.
The Wind tells Boo that factories and cars emit greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and as a result, the global temperature rises.
The Wind also explains some of the ways to tackle climate change, like installing filters in industrial sites to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere or getting around the city without cars.
“If we do nothing, Ukraine may lose its fertile soil, and the drought will reduce yields and make food more expensive,” Mr. Wind tells Boo.
At the end of the story, Krasavtsev lets the readers know that, together, with friends and family, they can demand businesses to install filters to improve air quality.
Another fairytale, “Jeremy Saves the Sea,” teaches children to respect nature during recreation.
Jeremy, who came for vacation to the southern Black Sea city of Odesa with parents, learns that ignorant people throw garbage into the sea, which accumulates, forming trash islands.
The Sea tells Jeremy that a lot of fish mistake plastic for food, introducing the nature-loving boy to plastic pollution, one of the most pressing issues killing millions of marine organisms every year.
Aside from the importance of not littering in nature, the story also teaches young readers how to recycle the waste.
When Jeremy and his father finish cleaning the islands, he promises to tell everyone that they should take care of the environment and recycle, as the Sea becomes clear and finally starts shining with all colors in amusement.
Where to find the book
Since the book is not for sale, those interested to read it are participating in bookcrossing, where copies are passed from reader to reader. Each reader has one week with the book before sending it off to the next person in line, and the only thing participants need to pay for is the delivery cost.
If interested, Sign up for bookcrossing by leaving contact details under one of the Eco Nation’s Facebook posts at facebook.com/groups/iameco.
Free electronic version of the book will become available on Feb. 28 at econation.tilda.ws.
