This is an interesting take on the comparison of time around the world, seen in several other picture books. Nicola Davies and Jenni Desmond have both done several science/animal themed books with an ecology-minded twist, but I think this is their first collaboration.
Before the book begins, we see a bedroom in the dark with two children, their skin charcoal in the shadows, looking at a parade of toy animals and a globe with a flashlight. A note to the reader gives a general explanation of time zones (this made no sense to me, but time zones, in general, never have).
The story begins at one minute to midnight, Greenwich, London, UK, as the two children from the frontispiece climb up to the window. The next picture shows the clock giving one heavy "bong!" and it's 1am at Svalbard, the Arctic circle. The kids, holding hands, their skin light brown in the fierce light, watch a polar bear and her cubs cross the ice. Each strike of the clock sees the children in another time zone. They see lions in Zambia, baby sea turtles in India, and Gibbons in China, where the sun is just coming up. They dive into the ocean to see whale sharks in the Philippines, hop through the desert with kangaroos in Australia, and greet Emperor penguins in Antarctica, where it's noon.
When they return to their Greenwich home, they've been around the world in one minute that's also twenty-four hours (time zones make no SENSE) and they see the bright lights of London, smoke stacks making the light-polluted air seem foggy. The following page tells us it's April 22, Earth Day, and shows the children in a flood of the animals they have met, celebrating their world. The final page shows the children back in their night-time room, looking out of the page as signs hang from their neighbors' windows, urging people to wake up and stop climate change.
Each narrative of the different animals they meet gives a brief description of them, adding a fun fact or two, and most also explain how they are affected by climate change. Some narratives are hopeful, like ranchers in Brazil keeping new breeds of cows that can defend themselves from jaguars, letting everyone live together, and some are darker, like the melting ice of the polar bears' home. There are also references to scientists studying animals and how people can protect specific species. The back matter includes notes from the author and illustrator, a brief explanation of climate change, and ways people can help, from small things like not wasting food and water to talking to adults about using sustainable energy.
I think most of my readers are well-aware of how I feel about simplifying the complexities of climate change for young children, and I have to admit this isn't my favorite approach. While I applaud being factual and honest with children, as well as giving them concrete things they can do to make changes, I also feel that it puts a lot of pressure on kids when you focus on the "do simple things and you can reverse climate change" which... is not really true. Ultimately, although I love Desmond's illustrations and Davies' work in general, this is one I would share with an older class who can understand the more complex themes or just as a book to look at the cool illustrations. I am NOT saying this is too complex just because I, personally, have never been able to grasp the concept of time zones.
Verdict: A beautiful book, but in my opinion it needs to be introduced and explained by an adult or adapted to be appropriate for the audience's understanding. The pictures are delightful, and one could certainly focus just on the idea of time zones, pairing it with titles like Animal Antipodes to expand the idea of different things happening at the same time around the globe.
ISBN: 9781536226133; Published March 2023 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library
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