Review Detail

Did you know that Sir David Attenborough will be 100 years old on May 8, 2026? It's fitting that he is the first entry in this collective biography of influential environmentalists, since he has worked so tirelessly to support green initiatives. In all, this book highlights 24 changemakers who are trying to make the world a better place.

There is a wide range of types of eco activism. Roz Rozman is working to protect rivers, Ellen McArthur is trying to make the sea sustainable, and surfers Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski are concerned with ocean pollution. People make change in many different ways: Stella McCartney is trying to make fashion sustainable, Isabel Soares is trying to stop food waste, and Doug Smith is concerned with saving wolves. There are stories from different parts of the world as well. Chewang Norphel is working in India to assure that everyone has access to water, Bittu Sahghal is trying to save Tigers in India, and sisters Melati and Isabel Wijsen have addressed the use of plastic bags in Bali. It's good to see a range of ages as well; the Wijsen sisters and Greta Thunberg started working for their causes when young, and Yvon Couinard is still working with his company, Patagonia, to inform sustainable consumption at the age of 86.

Each person has about a ten page biography detailing a bit about their lives but concentrating about the various concerns they are addressing about the environment. This gives young readers a good introduction not only to the person, but also the different ways in which the world needs help. The final chapter of the book talks very briefly about what young readers can do to help as well. There are picture and quote credits, but no list of resources, which would have been helpful.