STAND UP! SPEAK UP!

Written and Illustrated by:  Andrew Joyner

Published by:   Schwartz Wade Books, New York  6th October 2020

Ages:    4 – 8 years

Theme:   Empowerment, Community, Hope           

Opening Lines:   Wake up.  Dress up. Drink up. Eat up. Meet up.

Synopsis:   from Amazon –  From a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator, and the creator of The Pink Hat, comes a timely picture book about a young girl’s mission to inspire others to help the planet!

Celebrate young climate change activists in this charming story about an empowered girl who shows up, listens up, and ultimately, speaks up to inspire her community to take action against climate change. After attending a climate march, a young activist is motivated to make an effort and do her part to help the planet… by organizing volunteers to work to make green changes in their community, from cleaning a lake, to planting trees, to making composting bins, to hosting a clothing swap and more! Here is an uplifting picture book that is an important reminder that no change is too small–and no person is too young–to make a difference.

Why I like this:  Wow! This is great on so many levels.  Firstly it’s inspired by the Climate Change Revolution. A huge message is given in no more than fifty words. A young girl is motivated to make a difference and inspires others to make a better world for tomorrow.

With simple text and lively illustrations in soft pencil with very little colour, Andrew Joyner has given young children a timely story about activism, community, and hope. As a writer I think this book should be on the shelf of every person who is either thinking of writing children’s picture books or who does.  It gives new meaning to – letting the illustrations do the talking.  

Andrew is an Australian illustrator and author and lives in a small country town in the south of Australia.  It was while he was working on an Australian Children’s magazine in 2007 that an author saw his illustrations and recommended him to her editor for her new picture book. Jane Goodwin publisher of Penguin took a chance and asked if he would like to have a go at illustrating the book and he has been illustrating and writing children’s books ever since.  What luck!

Resources:    Andrew’s  website:  https://www.andrewjoyner.com.au/about-andrew

Environmental Education for at Home, In Schools and the Community – https://www.earthday.org/education-resource-library/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GPtgtVgYwsFSAcBOz5aAaM-IC7j8vAME–bg6F1EoGsppEqXw5fZ3hoCY14QAvD_BwE

I’m always happy reviewing Picture Books that come my way and share them with you.  If you would like to see more please pop over to Susanna Leonard Hills Blog where there are hundreds of books reviewed by other like-minded authors and writers.  Thank you for popping in and I hope you return again soon