“We live our lives surrounded by people
And other living things.
Together, we are Nature.
As far as we know, this extraordinary web of life
Exists in just one precious layer
Of a single planet – Earth.
But today Nature is under threat and
We must demand change to save it – and ourselves.
It’s Up To Us!
“
Wow! I love everything about this book.
The incredibly powerful and moving call to action
Based upon the Terra Carta
A roadmap to sustainability
Issued by HRH The Prince of Wales
And his Sustainable Markets Initiative
The words of this charter have been reworked
With a hefty dose of Christopher Lloyd magic
And set alongside the breathtakingly beautiful artwork
Of 33 illustrators from around the world
This book has to be seen and held and read aloud
To be believed
It is a wonderful creation
It will inspire children and their grown ups
It will help them to understand the challenges we as a planet face
And it will give them hope for a better and brighter future
This is a book filled with beauty, positivity and ideas for action
There are no we clouds, we shoulds
This book is saying what we will do
Because as we are hearing a lot this week
Climate cannot wait
Our planet needs us to act now
Our children and their children and theirs
Need us to act now
Change starts with us
And if you know someone who needs a nudge
To understand the vital importance of our actions, our choices
Put a copy of this book into their hands
This book is for children
It has been created to inspire them
And their grown ups
To discover and celebrate the natural world around us
To explore the lessons that Nature has to offer
And the ways we can all act to protect our planet
The book is designed in four parts Nature, People, Planet and Terra Carta
Every page is bursting with life and colour
First we read about the amazing plants and animals that live in the world
From microbes to squirrels to bears
We read about what we all need to survive
An introduction to carefully balanced ecosystems
We see that the Earth has existed for billions of years
Before the birth of people
Next we read about the human race
About consumption and consumerism
About taking more than we need
We realise that for too long
People have forgotten that
We are Nature too
For too long we did not realise the damage
The hurt we were causing
And / Or we did not care
But now the damage is clear to see
It cannot be glossed over or ignored
The actions of people are making the Earth warmer
And that is a big problem
A problem presented in this brilliant book
In compelling words and striking illustrations
Presents as a challenge that we all need to step up and face
But not as a problem without a solution
Not as a challenge without hope
We can make a difference
If we act now
And this is where the Terra Carta comes in
We can bring Nature back into balance
By agreeing that the time to act is now
The Terra Carter sets out the actions we must take
The world over
To stop the climate crisis in its tracks
This chapter of the book is perfect for introducing children to the solutions
Some of the solutions
There are more and more being imagined and created all the time
Perhaps our children will have solutions of their own
But the Terra Carta is a wonderful place to begin
Talking with children about renewable sources of energy
Clean fuel
Restoring the balance in ecosystems by stopping habitat destruction
Shopping locally
Eating less meat
Listening to people
Working together to find innovative ways
To keep our planet and ourselves healthy
This book is a challenge to us all to do something
To stand up
To speak up
To begin making the changes that we need to see
It is time to speak up and ensure our leaders hear us
It is time to put Nature first
We CAN do this
We MUST do this
And we have to it now
Because …
IT’S UP TO US!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
I will be buying this as a gift for family and friends this Christmas.
I believe a copy should be in every home, library and classroom
And in the hands of EVERY politician
A huge thank you to everyone involved in the production of this book
It is a magnificent collaboration
The book has awesome eco credentials too
The same carbon footprint as a third of a glass of milk
And that impact has been offset by The World Land Trust
The perfect share for COP26 this week
My children and I wrote a poem inspired by this brilliant book from What On Earth Books
Bea, age 7, performs the poem below.
We were sent a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review