Start Now! You Can Make a Difference
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Inspiring book cheers kids' efforts to make things better.
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What's the Story?
START NOW! YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE lays out a variety of issues that need attention, from climate change to world hunger to school bullying, and shows kids stepping up with their own creative ideas and energy to address them. It uses science to explain some of the problems, including the need for clean air and water and good nutrition, stopping contagious diseases, and the importance of protecting animals. It spotlights kids' efforts to make a difference in their communities and around the world, with photos of the kids involved.
Is It Any Good?
This kid-friendly guide to becoming socially active is both inspirational and practical, offering tips on what you can do to make your community and the world a better place. Start Now! You Can Make a Difference speaks to kids at their level and avoids getting bogged down in statistics and policy discussions. Author Chelsea Clinton gives kids enough solid information for them to understand the issues and enough examples of kids taking action to leave readers feeling optimistic that they can help too. For example, she mentions a Missouri girl named Matti who organized a walk initially hoping to raise $100 to help build wells in Africa and Asia. Over the past five years, Matti has raised enough to build nine wells in seven countries.
Simple cartoon drawings break up the text and help make the issues understandable. And pictures of real kids who took action make the notion of getting involved relatable and add to the inspiring, can-do tone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the kid-created projects in Start Now! You Can Make a Difference. Which ones do you find most inspiring?
What could you do in your community or your school to make it a better place? Who could use your help?
Can kids make a difference even though they don't vote? Have you been involved in any global or local projects? What did you do? What was fun about it? What was hard?
Book Details
- Author: Chelsea Clinton
- Genre: Advice
- Topics: Activism, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Philomel
- Publication date: October 2, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 7 - 10
- Number of pages: 126
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 2, 2021
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