Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed their World

by Allan Drummond, Allan Drummond (Illustrator)

Overview

Hold onto your hats! It's windy on the Danish island of Samsø, where you will meet the environmentally friendly people who now proudly call their home Energy Island.

At a time when most countries are producing ever-increasing amounts of greenhouse gasses, the rather ordinary citizens of Samsø have accomplished something extraordinary—in just ten years they have reduced their carbon emissions by 140% and become almost completely energy independent. A narrative tale and a science book in one, this inspiring true story proves that with a little hard work and a big idea, anyone can make a huge step toward energy conservation. The inspiring first book in the author’s acclaimed series about real-world communities going green.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250056764
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	03/24/2015
Series:	Green Power
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	174,165
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Allan Drummond is the author and illustrator of many books, including the four other Green Power titles, Pedal Power, Green City, Zero Waste, and Solar Story. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London and currently lives in Suffolk, England. allandrummond.com

Editorial Reviews

The thrilling idea, the book concludes, is that Samso is ‘not very different from where you live.' Your community doesn't need wind; it needs a spark, to get people to think and work together.” —Los Angeles Times

“Energy Island opens with the power of wind captured by a pinwheel, an illustration that neatly encapsulates this remarkably accessible book about the path to energy independence on the Danish island of Samso.” —The New York Times Book Review

“In this first title in a planned series of picture books about sustainable energy, Drummond combines winsome, kinetic, ink-and-wash illustrations with a succinct, simply phrased, smoothly flowing narrative that describes how Samsø transformed itself.” —Starred, Booklist

“The illustrations further personalize the story with energy of their own as they bring Samsø and its residents to life.” —Starred, School Library Journal

“The message is clear: An initially unconcerned community banded together and took steps that led to their current fame as a model of environmental action; we other residents of the island that is planet Earth can do that, too.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Energy independence may not seem like a gripping topic for a picture book, but Drummond (Tin Lizzie) tells the story of the Danish island of Samsø so engagingly that families may find themselves considering wind turbines for their backyards.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Energy independence may not seem like a gripping topic for a picture book, but Drummond (Tin Lizzie) tells the story of the Danish island of Samsø so engagingly that families may find themselves considering wind turbines for their backyards. Windy Samsø was chosen for a pilot energy independence program by the Danish government. The government's choice doesn't excite the islanders to begin with: " ‘Why us?' said Dorthe Knudsen. ‘Let some other island take on the challenge.' " When a big storm knocks out the island's power cable, and the farmer with a big turbine is the only one whose lights are on, the project suddenly seems a lot more interesting. Drummond uses the island's high winds as a metaphor for the project's excitement with the oft-repeated phrase "Hold on to your hats!" Instead of spreads, the pages are broken up with many small spot illustrations (Drummond's loopy, sweetly tinted drawings make even immense wind turbines seem adorable); more extensive information about wind power appears in (appropriately) green sidebars. His honesty about the project's glitches makes the triumphant conclusion all the more resounding. Ages 6–10. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

An unidentified local inhabitant describes the process and some of the people responsible for the recent transformation of the Danish island of Samsø to energy self-sufficiency.His chatty narration is accompanied by loosely drawn ink-and-watercolor illustrations emphasizing the island's windy nature. Windmill blades and pinwheels turn, hats blow off and clouds scud. Ranging from vignettes to full-page spreads and series showing the passage of time, these sketches perfectly reflect the story line. For older, more able readers, sidebars add explanations of relevant concepts: nonrenewable and renewable energy, the carbon dioxide problem, global warming, wind and other forms of energy and conservation.Though the focus is wind power, the author mentions other sources and energy-saving activities. In an afterword, he explains he has slightly adjusted the timeline. While he concentrates on the activities of Søren Hermansen, a local teacher who is now leader of the Samsø Energy Academy, he introduces two other early actors. A rough map shows Denmark's general location in the eastern hemisphere but doesn't label the North Sea or show enough of North America to help readers pinpoint the actual location. But the message is clear: An initially unconcerned community banded together and took steps that led to their current fame as a model of environmental action; we other residents of the island that is planet Earth can do that, too.(Informational picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews