History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment is the tenth book in Messner's History Smashers series. It discusses the history, complications, and ramifications of one of the most important holiday's.

We're not just given the rudimentary information about the first ever Earth Day spurred by the river catching fire in Ohio. While Messner goes into detail on this matter half way through the book, she also takes readers on a complicated, deep dive into the evolution of the ecological movement in the world and the US, from almost the very beginning, with an emphasis on how disproportionately communities of color are affected by environmental problems.
The after effects, and the continued problems with the environment, are fully explored. There is a helpful timeline at the end of the book.

There are fun, grey-scale illustrations, text boxes with extra information (“What is Coal?”), occasional comic book elements, primary sources (excerpts from letters, quotes, and more), and yearbook “superlatives” to highlight important heroes in the environmentalist movement scattered throughout the book to keep the reader engaged, as well as cater to the middle-grade reader.

History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment is a thought-provoking book providing information without bias, making for a great way to introduce young readers to the realities of climate change, and the political and social complexities that surround the people‘s acceptance (or rejection) of science throughout history.