• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2
• Reading age: 4 to 7

A charming, child-friendly tour around an ideal sustainable city --- with a uniquely positive environmental message from award-winning author Tanya Lloyd Kyi.

In this green city, neighbors take care of all living things: people, plants and animals, too! Many people choose a bicycle, scooter or their own two feet to get where they need to go. A family collects the rain to water their garden, while solar panels capture the energy from the sun; pipes gather heat from underground, and a windmill turns to power the community. Residents keep hens and hives in their yards, and care for flower beds that feed bees, birds and butterflies. Here, people all work together to make the city green. Can we do the same where we live?

Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Colleen Larmour have conjured a delightfully utopian sustainable community of the future, and they invite readers on an interactive journey to explore it. Unlike many children's books about the environment, this is a hopeful and uplifting book that encourages children to imagine what's possible, with neighbors from diverse backgrounds coming together to care for their surroundings and one another. Green technology and concepts are presented in an accessible way, covering topics from transportation to classrooms to food. Each spread includes a question that asks readers to search for something small in the illustration, and the abundant details in the rich and colorful art make the pages perfect for poring over. Backmatter shares environmentally friendly suggestions to try at home. Strong curriculum links to social studies and to physical, environmental and life sciences.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi claims to be a peaceful and non-threatening person, despite having written three books about fire and one about poison. She has never set a building aflame, handled dynamite, or intentionally poisoned anyone … although a suspicious number of friends did have stomachaches after eating her Christmas party meatballs one year.Tanya writes both fiction and non-fiction, often choosing topics related to science, pop culture, or social history—or a combination of the three. She enjoys combining factual research with intriguing narratives, or the life stories of interesting folks.Tanya began her writing “career” as a poet in high school, producing pages and pages of really bad poems that her mother adored. Her love of writing led to the University of Victoria, where she took creative writing and English. Tanya’s early writing jobs were as a newspaper reporter and brochure writer for the government. She also worked as a dishwasher, busgi

Tanya Lloyd Kyi's profile page

Colleen Larmour is a children's book illustrator and author based in Northern Ireland. She studied on the Cambridge Art School master's course in children's book illustration and has illustrated several books, including Let's Play: A Book About Making Friends. She lives with her husband and two daughters in County Antrim.

Colleen Larmour's profile page

A worthwhile purchase ... that will help readers recognize, understand, and eradicate stereotypes.—School Library Journal (Praise for This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes)

Overall, a light, positive take on urban community and sustainability.

Booklist

Alongside Drew Shannon's colourful illustrations [Lloyd Kyi] encapsulates key sociological and scientific research on racism and stereotyping.—New York Times (Praise for This Is Your Brain on Stereotypes)

A great guide for all shelves, and a recommended purchase.—School Library Journal

Exemplifying urban diversity and ecological harmony, this city will garner return visits from green-keen readers.—Kirkus Reviews

Exemplifying urban diversity and ecological harmony, this city will garner return visits from green-keen readers.

Kirkus Reviews

... this book may just inspire town planners and architects of the future.—The Irish Independent Newspaper

In a sense ... it is not just a book about sustainable development but also about community-building and communal responsibility.—CM Magazine