• Age: 9 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio caught the attention of the world. As the daughter of environmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis, Severn's concern for the environment was fueled by a trip to the Amazon rainforest at age nine. Back home in Vancouver, she and her friends started ECO, the Environmental Children’s Organization, combining their efforts to raise enough money to travel to Rio. They couldn't have imagined the effect they would have on the adults gathered there. More than twenty years later, Severn's speech continues to receive thousands of hits on YouTube. Severn’s story is about the power that children have to create change when they work together, and how their voices can stand out above the politics and cynicism of adults.

Janet Wilson is an award-winning artist and a published author, holding over 50 publishing copyrights in the children's literature field. She graduated with honours from the Ontario College of Art and Design as a mature student, the mother of two little boys. Janet's love of books combined with a particular talent for drawing children has brought her into the world of "kidlit." Her more realistic style lends itself to interpreting the stories of children's favorite authors in producing picture books. Sensitivity to the nuances of facial expressions helps young readers grasp subjects ranging from dealing with death, the arrival of a new baby, the tragedy of war or just wishing your new dress was a different colour. Her awards include Best Illustrated Book in the United States in 2004 for Jasper's Day, Canadian Information Book of the Year for her artwork in In Flanders Fields, and she is the first non-native artist to be awarded the Native Reading Week Award for her illustrations in Solomon's Tree. Janet is a career artist known for her fine art commissioned portraits and still life paintings.

Janet Wilson's profile page

• Short-listed, The Green Earth Book Award - Young Adult Non-Fiction

[Severn and the Day She Silenced the World] communicates a vital message: not only that kids can accomplish a great deal when they work together, but that it's important for kids to be passionate about the Earth and social justice for the sake of their own futures.

Resource Links

This title is perfect for sharing with jaded middle graders who no longer think they can make a difference in the world and feel powerless.

Reading Today Online

I adored this book both as an educator and as a former child activist... I would highly recommend this book as part of a biographical collection or for an environmental issues unit.

ETFO Voice

An award-winning author, Wilson has written another powerful work of creative nonfiction with an environmental focus.

CM Magazine