Elem. – The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement

Wittenstein, Barry. The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023.  978-1-534-48083-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades 2-3.

This nonfiction picture book explores environmental activism in its historic account of  Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River fire in 1969. In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution led to the building of many factories along the banks of American rivers, and the waste they produced was dumped into these same rivers. In Ohio, no one seemed to care that the once beautiful pristine Cuyahoga River, which supported wildlife, was now contaminated with oil, chemicals, and other toxic materials. One hot summer day in 1969, a train was traveling on a bridge that crossed the waterway. Sparks from the train fell into the river and instead of  fizzing out, they ignited the slimy surface causing an explosion and fire.  It was quickly put out, but surprisingly this was not the first time the Cuyahoga caught fire. The mayor of Cleveland, Carl Stokes, was determined to clear up the pollution and traveled to Washington, DC to testify before Congress. After listening to him and others, Congress passed the Clean Air and Water Act. One year later, on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time. People all over the world began to recognize the importance of taking care of our planet. In the back matter, there is a photo of the 1952 fire and an author’s note on the environment, encouraging young people to get involved. The illustrations by Hartland are done in gouache in a folk art style. They are drawn on a small scale, yet there is a lot of action on each page.

THOUGHTS: Students will enjoy examining the images for the quirky details. This picture book is a great choice for Earth Day storytimes, particularly since the story takes place in a neighboring state. A worthwhile purchase for elementary libraries, especially those needing to refresh their Earth Day collection.

363.7 Environmental Problems         

Elem. – Watercress

Wang, Andrea. Watercress. Holiday House, 2021. 978-0-823-446247 32 p. $18.99. Grades K-3. 

Watercress is a quiet yet profoundly moving picture book by the award-winning duo, Andrea Wang and Jason Chin. A young girl, traveling with her immigrant parents in rural America, is confused when her parents stop abruptly to collect wild watercress growing on the side of the road. Then a pair of rusty scissors and a brown paper bag are found in the depth of their old Pontiac trunk. The young Chinese girl and her brother have no choice but to roll up their jeans and follow their parents into the mud to gather the watercress. Later that evening, the dinner table holds a dish of watercress soaked in garlicky oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds, peppered with unanswered questions and confusion. At first, the little girl is angry and even embarrassed. Why didn’t her family get food from the store? But when her mother shares a story about her family and heritage in China, the girl learns to appreciate the incredible journey her family endured many years before. The beautiful watercolors and poetic text are about the power of memories, even the ones that are so difficult to share.

THOUGHTS: It is common for children to be unaware of their parent’s stories and culture. But it is also imperative to understand how we have arrived at this very moment. Watercress is a beautiful nod towards healthy communication between generations and an exploration into forgiveness and empathy. It is explained in the author’s note that this semi-autobiographical story is both a love letter and an apology letter to her parents- with an emphasis on how essential it is to share our stories.

Picture Book          Marie Mengel, Reading SD

YA – Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio

Backderf, Derf. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio. Abrams ComicArts. 2020. 978-1-4197-3484-7. 288 pp. $24.99. Gr. 10+.

For many of us, “Kent State” is synonymous with one of the most indelible images of the Vietnam War era. John Paul Filo’s influential, award-winning photograph captured the aftermath of four days of antiwar protests and National Guard presence, and more specifically thirteen seconds of gunfire. Tragically, four students were shot and killed, and nine more were wounded. In this gripping and painstakingly sourced graphic narrative, comics artist Derf Backderf turns his inimitable skill to chronicling May 1-4, 1970, from the perspectives of the four students whose lives were lost. They played music, went on dates, studied, called their parents, protested President Nixon’s escalation of the war, and uneasily observed the presence of the Ohio National Guard on campus (called in to suppress the “radicals” and agitators, who were generally not part of the student body). Backderf portrays the exhaustion, confusion, unpreparedness, muddled leadership, and dishonesty of the Guard throughout the catastrophic operation, as well as the political pressures impacting their actions.

THOUGHTS: Backderf recreates these four days with such intimate immediacy that the panels depicting the deaths of Jeff, Allison, Sandy, and Bill are gut-wrenching, even 50 years later. Distinctive artwork, ample period details, and integrated exposition set the narrative firmly within the era and provide helpful context. Simply outstanding on every level!

Michael Burgan’s 2017 juvenile nonfiction title, Death at Kent State, and Deborah Wiles’ recent novel-in-verse, Kent State, would round out a text set on this topic for a range of readers.

Graphic Novel          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD