Let a Cartoon be your Guide to the Environment

The Cartoon Guide to the Environment by Larry Gonick and Alice Outwater, published in New York by HarperPerennial, 1996.

If you thought serious science stuff is for adults, and if you think cartoons are just for kids, think again! This book explains environmental issues to readers of many ages and abilities and even makes quite complex ideas understandable, told with Gonick's trademark witty style (check out his other 'Cartoon Guides' too). It is framed by the story of the Easter Islanders who cut down all the trees on their island and then... disappeared. Are we headed for the same fate? Read all about environmental science, global warming, pollution, the cycle of life, and everything else, and learn how you can do you bit to make the world a better place to live in.

It's a toxic, Toxic Planet

Toxic planet by David Ratte, inking by Sylvie Sabater, translated from French by J. Gustave McBride. Published in New York, N.Y. by Yen Press, 2009.

Sam has a girlfriend, but they haven't seen each others' faces for years (or anyone’s face, for that matter). The United Global States has become too polluted to even breathe the air and drink the water, so what can Sam do but resign himself to wearing his gas mask (like everyone else) and just get on with living (unlike everyone else)? There's terrorism and manipulation by the government to instill an unhealthy fear of nature, and nothing but genetically modified food to eat - but you can get used to anything, right? The number of comic strips per page gradually increases, showing less white space and more pollution as the story progresses. Drawn in beautiful sludgy browns and grays, with toxic waste oozing, sizzling and smoking the whole way, this comic uses political satire to poke fun at fears of our chemical world and attitudes towards the environment. Suitable for older teens and adults.