Green Newton

Stand Up! Speak Up! A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution (2020)
Written and illustrated by Andrew Joyner

Stand Up! Speak Up! is a picture book about a young girl with a mission to inspire climate activism. I highly recommend the book for children and their families, teachers, and community leaders.

In black and white with green accents, each page has a two-word uplifting imperative or description — Stand up! Speak up! Show Up! Rise up! Meet up! Rest up. Still up. Hands up. Sign up.

The story begins when the girl attends an exciting climate rally of children holding signs urging “Save the Earth,” “Science not Silence,” “It’s Our Future,” and “There’s No Planet B.”

Later that day, the young girl is delighted to see the rally on the evening news. But when it is followed by scenes of smoke stacks, fires, floods, and plastic trash in the ocean, she becomes so troubled that she can’t sleep. She decides that she needs to do more so she gets out of bed to write up her thoughts.

Next, she and her parents are off to Town Hall where she presents her ideas and inspires everyone, young and old, to line up and sign up. An extended double page fold-out shows the community volunteers in action all over town. At the end of the book, the author includes examples of young climate activists around the world standing up and speaking up for a cleaner and safer planet, connecting climate justice to political action. Even the back of the book jacket is a March for the Future poster.

Joyner is the author of many other books for young readers including The Pink Hat (2017), about the many adventures of a knitted hat — snatched out of a knitting basket by a pesky kitten, blown into a tree by a strong wind, and stolen by a speedy dog, eventually making its way onto the head of a young girl marching for women’s equality.

Joyner received a 2021 Malka Penn Award given annually to authors of outstanding children’s books addressing human rights issues or themes such as discrimination, equity, poverty, justice, war, peace, slavery or freedom.

Author Ellie Goldberg is a Green Newton advisory board member. The title is available at the Newton Free Library under “J Pic, Joyner A.”