The smog has settled over our megapolises, wiping out the festive cheer with an AQI that breached the 400 mark in the national capital the day after Diwali. Why, one might wonder, would a people who cough their way through the beginning of winter want to burst crackers and worsen life for themselves? But good sense is hard to come by, and, perhaps, the only counter might be to sensitise the young early enough for them to make informed choices. Here are some books that speak of the survival of the fittest, mindful consumption and getting one’s hands dirty for a cause: When his son was born, writer-illustrator Oliver Jeffers got down to the task of creating a manual for him with the book, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (2017, HarperCollins, appropriate for: 3+ years). “It started off as a book about the realisation that new life is a blank slate.I wanted my son to know that while we are all unique individuals, we are all in this together,” he wrote while announcing the launch of the book. A tender picture book, it celebrates diversity and empathy for the world we inherit. Since its publication in 1859, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species has been the seminal text for evolutionary theories. Molecular biologist and illustrator Sabina Radeva has broken it down for young readers in this picture book by the same name (2019, Penguin). Radeva’s work, full of diagrams and maps, is a visual delight. She lucidly breaks down scientific ideas and works to dispel common misconceptions. Even though its target audience is those of 6+ years, it is better suited for slightly older readers. “Environmental chefs,/ here's a recipe for you/ to fix from scratch/ to mix a batch/ of Compost Stew.” Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals and Ashley Wolff (2014, Dragonfly Books, appropriate for 4+ years) is quite different from the other two books on this list in that it is a primer for action. After all, “Dirt clods, crumbled,/ Eggshells, crushed/ Fruit pulp left behind, all mushed” is a fun introduction to composting and for getting one’s hands dirty for a happy end. This article appeared in the print edition with the headline 'Through the Smog, Darkly'
