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Children's Nonfiction General

Yes You Can!

Your Guide to Becoming an Activist

by (author) Jane Drake & Ann Love

Publisher
Tundra
Initial publish date
Oct 2010
Category
General, General, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780887769429
    Publish Date
    Oct 2010
    List Price
    $14.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 10 to 18
  • Grade: 5 to 12

Description

Every time our society takes steps forward, segregation becomes illegal, child labor is exposed, and companies that poison our air are called to account. Behind those steps are people who identified problems, worked together, and created change. Lifelong environmental activists, Jane Drake and Ann Love present the nine steps to social change and much more. From fascinating accounts about the founding of organizations such as Amnesty International, Pollution Probe, and Greenpeace to the nuts and bolts of how to run an effective meeting or write a petition, to words of inspiration, Yes You Can! Your Guide to Changing the World is great reading and encouragement for every person who wants to make the world a better place.

About the authors

Jane Drake, with her co-author and sister Ann Love, has co-authored many award-winning non fiction books for kids including The Kids Book of the Night Sky, The Kids Book of the Far North, The Kids Cottage Book, and most recently, Alien Invaders: Species that Threaten Our World. Their works usually have an environmental flavor. Jane lives in Toronto.

Jane Drake's profile page

Ann Love, with her co-author and sister Jane Drake, has co-authored many award-winning non fiction books for kids including The Kids Book of the Night Sky, The Kids Book of the Far North, The Kids Cottage Book, and most recently, Alien Invaders: Species that Threaten Our World. Their works always have an environmental flavor. Ann lives in the Toronto area.

Ann Love's profile page

Librarian Reviews

Yes You Can! Your Guide to Becoming an Activist

The fourth book, Yes You Can! Your Guide to Becoming an Activist, is aimed at action. The writing team of sisters Jane Drake and Ann Love will be known to many readers for their popular non-fiction books, such as The Kids Book of the Night Sky. With their new title, they reach out for a different readership through Tundra Books. Although marketed for ages 11 and up, this book seems better suited for high school-aged readers. The visual treatment is quite sombre with no text-lightening pictures or graphic design elements: this book means business. Readers must be able to decipher the terms used in explanations: “Amnesty International is transparent to its members — democratic, self-governing, and open.” Before learning how to write an effective brief, one must first know what a brief is.

When this book is read cover-to-cover by strong, teen readers, Yes You Can! might be an incredibly motivating experience. Each of the 10 sections features an introduction, exemplary stories, strategies, skills and a “Milestones and Set Backs” timeline. There is an index at the back, but the book could also have had a specific “Find Out More” section for basic information in each area.

The chapters tackle different skills and topics. In “Getting Heard,” the Strategies section tells how the Labrador Creative Arts Festival used theatre and various creative arts to give voice to messages from Innu and other youth. This section’s Skills tie-in, “Squeaky Clean,” urges activists to keep “meticulous financial records,” “receipts,” and gives other tips to readers for good book-keeping. The Skills sections are, in the opinion of this reviewer, the golden nuggets, as they inform readers about subjects, such as volunteer burn-out, that few think about before embarking on philanthropic projects!

Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Fall 2010. Volume 33 No. 4.

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