The Day the River Caught Fire by Barry Wittenstein & Illustrated by Jessie Hartland

I urge all children, teachers and parents to get “The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement” by Barry Wittenstein. There are two main things I love about this book: the history and the inspiration to act! First, focusing on the specific history of the toxic Cuyahoga River makes the environmental movement really engaging for kids. My 4 and 6 year old were pretty repulsed by how polluted the Cuyahoga River was in 1969. In fact, they couldn’t believe that people who fell into the river had to go to the hospital afterward! Nothing engages a young person more than a little yuck-factor. Jessie Hartland’s illustrations really capture how yucky the river was…in the best way! Second, and most importantly, this book inspires the reader to take action. It shows, “that caring for the Earth requires constant attention.” People shouldn’t lazily accept the situation of a toxic river that burns (or an overheated planet that burns!); rather people need to take action. This civic engagement requires journalists reporting about it, artists and influencers focusing on it, citizens protesting about it, and elected officials making laws to change it. 

Heart: When it comes to the future health and safety of my children, climate change and gun violence in America are my two biggest concerns. Many of you know that I am quite devoted to the gun violence prevention movement, but I am also very passionate about protecting our environment. I compost, reuse, avoid buying things packaged in plastic, walk and bike when possible and more. It’s true - it’s often not the most convenient route, but I do it because I value our natural spaces. Most of the children’s manuscripts I write focus on caring for the Earth. Wittenstein’s “The Day the River Caught Fire” really emphasized  how important it is to consistently “show up” for the Earth. 

Head: I learned that in 1969, Cleveland’s first black mayor, Carl Stokes spearheaded the movement to clean up the Cuyahoga River. And young people supported him. This book is a great jumping-off point for classrooms interested in researching how minority-voices and youth-voices have led the way in various environmental and social movements throughout time. I will caution people about telling the youth that it’s “up to them” to solve the social and environmental problems of our time. It’s the elders who created the problem, so it really needs to be a collective effort. We need all-hands-on-deck.