Eco-Diary of Kiran Singer

Children's Literature

Kiran is scared. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Disappearing rainforests. Melting glaciers. Oil-spills. Is there anything a kid like Kiran can do to save the planet? In answer, Kiran's grandmother invites her to join the crazy boggers who are working hard to restore a small bog in a public park. “There's a bit of the planet right here...that needs saving.” Throughout the week, Kiran's poetic diary entries describe the sights and the sounds of the bog , the extraordinary variety of creatures who call the bog home, the plants that clean the air, the noise of the men with saws cutting up stumps to clear the ground, and sometimes the quiet. “No song-birds now. The evening's dark and almost cold. Small brown bats skim the clearing...Small creatures go underground, deep. Safe in their cozy burrows, they breathe in the scent of warm honey earth and sleep.” In her last entry, Kiran shares what she has learned--that “one plus one plus one...all working together...can save something, change something.” A book of prose poems each illustrated with charming drawings and (in keeping with its ecological message) printed on 100% ancient forest-friendly paper. Reviewer: Anita Barnes Lowen