Sona Sharma: Looking After Planet Earth

When Sona learns about climate change at school, she makes a pledge to look after the planet. Taking her teacher’s advice to ‘start small, start now’, she makes some radical changes at home, which, although well-intentioned, don’t go down too well with her family. To help reduce waste and save energy, Sona hides her baby sister’s disposable nappies so they cannot end up in landfill, and switches off the ceiling fan that cools her grandparents’ room, while they are napping.

Sona then turns her attention to the forthcoming "kolam" competition, where intricate patterns are drawn on the ground outside people’s homes, traditionally using rice flour. How can she persuade her neighbours not to use the colourful chemical dyes and glitter, which have become so popular but are harmful to the environment?

Set in India, this gentle tale is one of a series of delightful chapter books about Sona and her extended family and is peppered with interesting details about Hindu traditions, culture and food. The short chapters and expressive black-and-white illustrations make it ideal for independent young readers.