Fresh Air, Clean Water - (Orca Think) by Megan Clendenan (Hardcover)

About the Book

Part of the nonfiction Orca Think series for middle-grade readers, this illustrated book explores our right to a healthy environment and introduces the stories of people fighting for change.

Book Synopsis

Everyone depends on clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy soil for growing food. But what if your drinking water is dangerous, your air is polluted and your soil is toxic?

What can you do about that? Do you have the right to demand change?

Fresh Air, Clean Water: Defending Our Right to a Healthy Environment explores the connections between our environment and our health, and why the right to live in a healthy environment should be protected as a human right. The book features profiles of kids around the world who are taking action and important environmental rights court cases. Hear the powerful stories of those fighting for change.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

From the Back Cover

Everyone depends on clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and healthy soil to grow food.

But what if your drinking water is dangerous, your air is polluted and your soil is toxic? Do you have the right to demand change?

Fresh Air, Clean Water explores our right to live in a healthy environment and why it should be protected as a human right. With profiles of important environmental rights court cases and the kids around the world who are taking action, learn the powerful stories of those fighting for change.

Review Quotes

"Explores the connections between our living environment and our personal health. Like other books in the Orca Think series, readers are introduced to current world issues through the experiences of young activists featured in an engaging layout with coloured photographs and drawings, sidebars with interesting facts, and an invitation for readers to take action."

-- "BC Books for Schools"

"With a tone that is eager to share serious information without terrifying readers...this thought-provoking book offers a solid foundation for further exploration of the topic."-- "School Library Journal (SLJ)"

"A worthy purchase where readers enjoy a personal approach to science instruction."-- "Booklist"

"Several strong messages...not one of doom and gloom, but one of hope and optimism for the future if people have respect for nature and for each other. Highly Recommended."-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"A forceful and informative handbook on environmental justice, accessible enough to strike a chord with young readers."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Packed full of detail about historical political and governmental positions regarding our world; and yes, we all have a stake in this topic."-- "School Library Connection"

About the Author

Megan Clendenan has worked for women's rights, mental health and youth empowerment nonprofits as well as for an environmental law group, where she realized for the first time that the court system could be a way to help protect human health from pollution and toxic chemicals. She is the author of Cities: How Humans Live Together and What Do We Eat? How Humans Find, Grow and Share Food, both part of the Orca Timeline series. She is also a co-author of Design Like Nature: Biomimicry for a Healthy Planet. Megan lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family.

Julie McLaughlin is an award-winning illustrator of numerous children's books, including Pride Puppy, Little Cloud, Breaking News and Why We Live Where We Live, winner of the 2015 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction. Her work with various editorial, advertising and publishing clients can be seen around the world. Julie grew up on the Prairies and now resides on Vancouver Island.