Book Nook: Books in Honor of Earth Day

 Earth Day is held each year on April 22. The yearly event officially started in 1970 and has spread around the world. The idea behind it is to raise awareness about the environmental protection of the planet we call home. Putting a focus on the state of the environment has never been more critical, and it's something that people of all ages can do. Those looking for good spring reading material will find numerous books that will provide them with an entertaining insight into our planet's environment.

 

“Whether you read often or not, make it a goal to read at least one or two environmentally-related books this spring to celebrate Earth Day,” explains Stephon Stewart, theorist, and author. "There is so much important information that we all need to be aware of, and numerous books that have what we need to know to make improvements."

 

We have many issues impacting the planet, leading to the decline of the environment. We are witnessing ecosystems disappearing, wetlands being lost, forests being cut down, and the coral reefs are dying. Our oceans are losing ice caps, being overfished, and having more plastic particles than natural material in some areas. Our lifestyles and desire for more are leading to an all-out war on nature and leading to climate change.

 

The best way to combat these issues is to learn about them, take action, and share the information with others. The more people that get on board with helping to protect the environment, the better the planet will be. Here are 5 must-read books in honor of Earth Day that every teen and adult should read:

• “Silent Spring,” (Mariner Books, Anniversary Edition, October 2002) by Rachel Carson. Originally published in 1962, this is the most popular environmental book ever published. The book shed light on how harmful pesticides were being used for the environment and health. Carson inspired millions of people to care about the environment and take action.
• “Dry” (Markosia Enterprises, October 2021) by Stephon Stewart. The sci-fi fantasy graphic novel has a mission of showing readers what the planet will be like if we don't change our environmental habits now. Such changes are necessary to address global warming because scientists predict that it will lead to heat waves, hurricanes, weather extremes, shrinking ice caps, rising sea levels, warming of the ocean, and ocean acidification. 
•  “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard,” (Timber Press, February 2020) by Douglas W. Tallamy. This book offers practical solutions that people can take to preserve nature, starting with the backyard. Readers will be inspired to help connect green spaces to help save nature and wildlife.
• “Emperors of the Deep: The Mysterious and Misunderstood World of the Shark,” (William Collins, July 2021) by William McKeever. Not only do readers learn about the devastating plight of the apex predator that has survived 450 million years, but they learn about the current state of the world’s oceans and why it’s so important to save them, starting with the sharks. 
• “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times" (Celadon Books, October 2021) by Jane Goodall. An icon in the conservation movement, Goodall offers a look at pressing environmental issues and hopes for making positive changes.

"We have to make changes to protect our environment, and it starts with us," added Stewart. "The books are eye-opening and will inspire people to make changes this Earth Day and all through the year."

 

Stewart’s book, which was written for ages 13 and up, helps put things into perspective. The story focuses on the journey a farmer and his daughter take to find water to survive because the Earth has dried up due to global warming. Readers will learn about the impact that each of us has on helping to address the problem, which scientists say is human-caused.

 

Throughout the story, we are constantly reminded not to take Earth for granted as we see troubling visuals of our planet without oceans and agriculture. We see the future of the alarming consequences of climate change and what would happen if we continued to allow Earth's atmosphere to remain in a vulnerable state. See how the story ends and read the 186-page adventure story for yourself. "Dry” is out everywhere now and available worldwide at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and markosia.com/dry/. 

 

About Stephon Stewart

Stephon Stewart is a director, writer, artist, and academic. The stories Stewart creates are metaphysical narratives and fantasy thrillers that implement Nostradamus themes. His concern for the future of humanity has inspired him to write a trilogy of scripts called DRY, WET, and ICE. Stewart’s original adventure fantasy script, DRY, was adapted into a 186-page graphic novel with art by David Cousens and lettering by Kuen Tang. DRY was acquired by one of the UK's leading publishers in the industry, Markosia, and is now available at TARGET, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and https://markosia.com/dry/. Stewart’s artistic vision is to inspire humanity to remain hopeful and active in the clean energy transformation for Earth, while his passion has directed him toward exploration in both science and environmental ethics. This passion led him to paint on canvas depictions of what may happen to the Earth if we don’t take care of our planet. Today that art is on apparel with climate change messaging: Global Transfiguration. In between filmmaking and writing, Stewart has continued his studies in physics and has been published in the Open Journal for Biophysics, based on a theory he's developed with a neuroscientist to unblock blood vessels and clogged arteries, to extend life: https://www.scirp.org/pdf/ojbiphy_2021102914000143.pdf.