Konnie Huq, Jamie Oliver, David Baddiel, Adam Kay, Mary Portas and Joseph Coelho are among those collaborating on an ebook about the climate crisis which will be free to access for every UK primary school.
The ebook, Children for Change, is edited by Huq and features contributions from more than 80 writers, illustrators, environmentalists and young people including Tom Gates author Liz Pichon, The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler and TV presenter Chris Packham.
The book contains stories, poems, illustrations and features about a variety of topics related to the environment including fast fashion, rewilding and measuring our carbon footprint.
The introduction advises children to “start anywhere” in the book. “It’s a chocolate box, essentially”, said Huq.
“What I love about the idea behind this book is that it’s not all doom and gloom,” said Young Bond series author Charlie Higson, whose writing appears in the anthology. “It’s about letting kids know there are things they can do to safeguard their futures and encouraging them to get involved.”
Huq said it was important that the book was made available for free because there are many children who do not own books, as well as schools that do not have libraries. Teaching children to value the environment from a young age means that “no matter where they go in life”, said Huq, “their mentality will be one to want to help others and help the planet”.
Huq presented Blue Peter between 1997 and 2008 and has written four children’s books, including three instalments of her Cookie! series.
The Children for Change project is being funded by a national lottery project grant from Arts Council England, and published by Pop Up Projects CIC, a non-profit children’s literature agency.
The book includes a poem from former children’s laureate Coelho about repurposing and fixing used items – which he originally wrote on a CD and is shaped in a spiral, with the lines to be read in any order – and a piece by Kay about becoming a vegetarian.
“When was the last time you spoke to a chicken? I’m guessing, never,” writes Kay. “Probably because every time you meet one it’s in the middle of a dinner table with some sage and onion stuffing up its bum, surrounded by roast potatoes. But if you did ask a chicken whether it would prefer to be served with Bisto and a yorkshire pudding or frolicking with its mates in a field somewhere, what do you think it would say?”
The closing section of the ebook contains activity prompts and resources to “inspire you to take action, charities you can get involved with, more reading material – it’s an all-in-one comprehensive manual”, said Huq.
The book also includes 10 contributions from winners of the Children for Change young writers competition, run in partnership with The Week Junior.
