Culture

The Tantrum That Saved the World

A carbon neutral kids' book about climate change

Explaining climate change to kids and empowering them to do something about it might be the first step towards a healthier planet. Enter “THE TANTRUM THAT SAVED THE WORLD”, a new children’s book about climate change by Megan Herbert and Michael E. Mann, which launched on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter on October 11, 2017. After just 5 days, its funding goal was reached and it got a lot of attention from some high profile celebrity environmentalists, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Fairchild, and Bill McKibben, to name just a few, who have all tweeted about the book, urging their followers to get on board.

“THE TANTRUM THAT SAVED THE WORLD” is a remarkable new picture book by Australian writer and illustrator, Megan Herbert, and award-winning American climate scientist, Michael E. Mann, about a little girl who stares down the climate crisis and channels tantrum power into positive action to save the world.

The book consists of two parts. The first part (written and illustrated by Megan Herbert) is a story about a little girl who inherits a huge problem she didn’t ask for, feels all kinds of frustration as she tries to solve it, and then channels those strong emotions into positive action, inspiring all those around her to do the same.

The second part (written by Michael E. Mann) explains the science of climate change to children in language they can understand, telling the stories of the climate refugees that appear in the story, and how all their lives are interconnected. An Action Plan then outlines simple and positive actions every person can take to make a real difference and to become the heroes of their own stories.

A VITAL RESOURCE FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATORS IN A TIME OF CRISIS MEGAN HERBERT: “I wanted to turn my frustration about climate inaction into something positive, to tell my son that I care about the world that I’m passing onto him. I want all kids to understand the challenges ahead and to be inspired to act positively rather than be overwhelmed.” By launching this book via crowd-funding, we can get it into people’s hands faster, as well as control the production and shipping process to reach our goal of carbon neutrality.”

MICHAEL E. MANN: “We wrote this book because, in our view, nothing like it exists. It educates by entertaining kids. It encourages action by inspiring them.”

TESTIMONIALS:

“All of our kids are depending on us. They also need great resources like this one to help them understand our warming world.” – Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine

“If we talk about climate change, and read about it, the way we talk and read about other issues, we’d be doing something about climate change. So, check out this book, and let’s get to work.” – Bill Nye, ‘The Science Guy’

CARBON NEUTRAL PRODUCTION

Available as an eBook and in a hard-cover printed format, the book will be carbon neutral. - Printed on 100% recycled Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper - 100% biodegradable vegetable dyes - no use of isopropyl alcohol in printing process - Sustainable shipping methods and carbon offsetting - Print waste being diverted from landfill - Print production powered by renewable sources.

ABOUT THE CREATORS:

MEGAN HERBERT is an Amsterdam-based Australian writer and illustrator whose career as a television and film writer, journalist, product designer, editorial cartoonist, and children’s book creator has spanned twenty years. She has worked as a storyliner, script writer, senior script editor, story producer, and development writer for television shows including longrunning Australian drama Neighbours, and BBC dramas EastEnders and Holby City.

Dr. MICHAEL E. MANN is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (ESSC).

Dr. Mann has received a number of honors and awards including NOAA's outstanding publication award in 2002, the Hans Oeschger Medal in 2012, the National Conservation Achievement Award in 2013, and the Stephen H. Schneider Award in 2017. He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is also a co-founder of the award-winning science website RealClimate.org and has published three books including Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines, and most recently, The Madhouse Effect with Washington Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles.

Website: www.worldsavingbooks.com