Communicating environmental values has been a major focus of my research. While most of this work has centered on adults, a part of me has always wondered how I developed a passion for the environment when I was a child.
With the birth of my nephew, this line of questioning has only grown more persistent. This is definitely a topic of research worth exploring in the extant literature, and I'll certainly be posting more about it in the future. But for now, I'd like to share a story I wrote and illustrated for my nephew, who is now two and a half years old.
The idea came for it as I was watching Planet Earth's breathtaking views of the changing of the seasons and the cherry blossom festivals that mark the start of Spring. It occurred to me that with climate change we may no longer have the same distinct seasons or the same traditions that mark those seasons. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many of our traditions are reliant on steady seasonal trends.
This book envisions a time in the future when my nephew is all grown up and has grandchildren of his own. While waiting for the rain to stop so he can play outside, little Dennis asks Grandpa Ryan why the weather is always miserable. Check out the story here.
No comments:
Post a Comment