Books in Kids Making a Difference series

Biographies of ten children from around the world who opened up their hearts and minds to the injustices of the world and took action, changing their world for the better. In addition to the ten main profiles, sidebars feature many more children. Included is eleven-year-old Andrew Adansi-Bonnah from Ghana, who raised thousands of dollars for refugee children in Somalia after seeing their desperate situation covered in the news. Another child profiled is twelve-year-old Mimi Ausland from the United States, nicknamed “Dr. Doolittle” by her family. After learning about the shortage of food for shelter animals, she started a website to collect donations of dog and cat food; her site is now one of the most visited animal-rescue websites in the world. These children never set out to be heroes or to become famous, but they are role-models for us all.

This around-the-world tour introduces readers to children who have taken on the role of social activist, fighting for human rights and social justice in countries as diverse as Yemen and Congo, Canada and the United States. Ten children receive main profiles, and over a dozen others are featured in smaller sidebars. Anita Khushwaha fought against gender and class bias in her community in India. Emman Bagual founded Mind Your Rights to fight child labor in the Philippines. Zach Bonner walked 1,000 miles to raise awareness about homeless children in the United States. A diverse range of other issues is covered, including aboriginal rights, human trafficking and child soldiers, and the full United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child can be found alongside tips for how kids everywhere can make a difference.

These young people from across the globe are raising awareness about what issues matter to them most. Jaelun Parkerson from Texas kneels with his football teammates during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice; Canadian Autumn Peltier spoke in front of the United Nations to raise awareness about water pollution; and Melati Wijsen from Bali started working at twelve-years-old to convince his government to ban plastic bags. From oil pipelines to cyber bullying, from gun violence to animal protection, they don't let their youth stop them from being heard.

From the author of One Peace comes a new book of beautiful portraits and exciting profiles of ten young environmental activists from around the world. Janet Wilson's art captures the spirit of adventure, determination and hope that each of these children possess. They include Canadian Severn Cullis-Suzuki, who pioneered "pester power" - the idea that children must keep reminding their parents of what is at stake, and who at age twelve made one of the most rousing speeches at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. And fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba from Malawi, who realized that the strong winds in his country could be put to good use and so borrowed a book from his library, taught himself how to build a working windmill, and brought electricity to his village. And thirteen-year-old Sam Levin from the USA who helped found the organization Project Sprout, planting an organic vegetable garden that would eventually help feed an entire community. Full of environmental facts and advice, this book will inspire budding young eco-activists everywhere to start making a difference for their planet.