SPRING 2014
Severn and the Day She Silenced the World
KIDS' POWER SERIES by: Janet Wilson
A speech that caught the world's attention
Severn Suzuki’s speech at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio caught the attention of the world. She was given the chance to speak at the closing of the conference. The media – and the world – took notice. US Vice President Al Gore was famously quoted as saying "That was the best speech I heard all week!" As the daughter of environmentalist David Suzuki, Severn had the unique opportunity to travel from an early age and see the effects of environmental destruction. Her concern was fueled by a trip to the Amazon rainforest when she was nine.
Back home in Vancouver, she and her friends started ECO, the Environmental Children’s Organization, combining their efforts to raise enough money to travel to Rio, where they hoped to catch the ear of the adults gathered to discuss the state of the environment. They couldn't have imagined the effect they would have. More than twenty years later, the video of Severn's speech continues to receive thousands of hits on YouTube. Severn’s story is about the power that children have to create change when they work together, and how their voices can stand out above the politics and cynicism of adults.
Severn Cullis-Suzuki continues to fight for social, environmental and inter-generational justice, and speaks about the power of love to change the world.
Reviews:
“I adored this book both as an educator and as a former child activist growing up at the same time and in the same place as Severn. I would highly recommend this book as part of a biographical collection or for an environmental issues unit.” Reviewed by Jennifer Johnston for ETFO
"Wilson captures the fun and laughter of the girls that she writes about, and their determination to do what they can to make the world a better place. Through skilfully crafted dialogue, the reader becomes present as the girls discuss their club’s initiatives, manufacture gecko pins for sale, and in Brazil, share laughs at the dental-floss like outfits that pass as swimwear. The inclusion of relevant photographs and reproductions of selections from ECO newsletters adds to the sense of immediacy that the book conveys. The epilogue is a welcome addition that briefly tells the situation of the main characters today, more than twenty years following the tumultuous year that culminated in attendance and addresses at the 1992 Earth Summit."
Highly Recommended. Val Ken Lem is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON.
978-1-927583-23-4
$14.95 Paperback
206 Pages • 6.5 x 8
Ages: 9-13
Severn and the Day She Silenced the World
KIDS' POWER SERIES by: Janet Wilson
A speech that caught the world's attention
Severn Suzuki’s speech at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio caught the attention of the world. She was given the chance to speak at the closing of the conference. The media – and the world – took notice. US Vice President Al Gore was famously quoted as saying "That was the best speech I heard all week!" As the daughter of environmentalist David Suzuki, Severn had the unique opportunity to travel from an early age and see the effects of environmental destruction. Her concern was fueled by a trip to the Amazon rainforest when she was nine.
Back home in Vancouver, she and her friends started ECO, the Environmental Children’s Organization, combining their efforts to raise enough money to travel to Rio, where they hoped to catch the ear of the adults gathered to discuss the state of the environment. They couldn't have imagined the effect they would have. More than twenty years later, the video of Severn's speech continues to receive thousands of hits on YouTube. Severn’s story is about the power that children have to create change when they work together, and how their voices can stand out above the politics and cynicism of adults.
Severn Cullis-Suzuki continues to fight for social, environmental and inter-generational justice, and speaks about the power of love to change the world.
Reviews:
“I adored this book both as an educator and as a former child activist growing up at the same time and in the same place as Severn. I would highly recommend this book as part of a biographical collection or for an environmental issues unit.” Reviewed by Jennifer Johnston for ETFO
"Wilson captures the fun and laughter of the girls that she writes about, and their determination to do what they can to make the world a better place. Through skilfully crafted dialogue, the reader becomes present as the girls discuss their club’s initiatives, manufacture gecko pins for sale, and in Brazil, share laughs at the dental-floss like outfits that pass as swimwear. The inclusion of relevant photographs and reproductions of selections from ECO newsletters adds to the sense of immediacy that the book conveys. The epilogue is a welcome addition that briefly tells the situation of the main characters today, more than twenty years following the tumultuous year that culminated in attendance and addresses at the 1992 Earth Summit."
Highly Recommended. Val Ken Lem is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto, ON.
978-1-927583-23-4
$14.95 Paperback
206 Pages • 6.5 x 8
Ages: 9-13
- Language Arts
- Biography
- Strong Female Role Models
- Biography
- Science
- Earth Sciences
- Environmentalism
- Earth Sciences
- Social Studies
- Government