Bright New World
How to Make a Happy Planet
In Cindy Forde’s environmentalist manifesto Bright New World, Earth’s perilous situation fades in comparison to vibrant, sustainable possibilities.
We already know how to create a “world where all life can flourish,” Forde contends. She invites young readers on a tour of an imagined positive future with built-in solutions to climate change, including biodegradable fashions, regenerative farming, and magnet-driven public transportation. Human ingenuity, social justice, and cooperation could make this utopia a reality, the book suggests.
Addressing topics both cosmic and nitty-gritty, this is a thorough, honest presentation of the manifold challenges posed by the climate crisis. Its two-page spreads are busy and colorful, incorporating a mixture of diagrams, tableaux, simplified charts, and text boxes. There are novel formats such as “Not Wanted” posters for greenhouse gases and a graph turned into a roller coaster. Participation is promoted through reflection questions and lists of what individuals can do in their daily lives to work toward a better future.
Although some of the proposed technologies—airships, 3d-printed buildings, and smart cities—still seem like the stuff of science fiction, the book gives plentiful examples of how its ideas have already been put to practical use. Some concepts, like the doughnut model of economics, are advanced for the target age range, though.
Forde emphasizes the specific roles that girls and women can play in a climate-friendly future, with Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai held up as heroes. Equality of access to education often leads to women choosing to have fewer children, she notes, so parity will also address overpopulation. Bethany Lord’s illustrations are diverse, and Indigenous people like Chief Raoni, who campaigned for a rain forest reserve in Brazil, are prominent within them.
Ideal for clued-in children and younger teenagers, Bright New World responds to environmental problems with an ambitious program for green action.
Reviewed by
Rebecca Foster
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
