Everyone knows that the world’s natural environment is under threat and suffering more and more damage daily.  But so much of the detail about it is presented either as sternly serious lectures and pages of figures or as breathlessly amazed TV specials.  Result – “Switch off” by most people!

Two new titles for teen readers from Allen and Unwin avoid both the preachy approach and “Gee Whiz!” formats, but still look at the problems seriously and informatively.

The State of the Planet is local author John Nicholson’s new book and he simply presents it as it is – straight-forward explanations of what is happening, what the consequences will be, and what needs to change.  In four sections – Earth, Water, Air, and Energy – he describes and illustrates major environmental problems like deforestation, overfishing, pollution, acid rain and soil degradation.  He explains them in both world terms of “how big is the problem?” and local terms of  “how will affect me?”

The careful drawings that have so marked his other books are again a feature, gentle and subtle but carrying a powerful message.  He has figures and statistics too, but cleverly presented as pie charts in various shapes like a water tank (for water wastage) or a rubbish bin (for land fill).

A detailed index and glossary support all these details and help make this an excellent information book.

Endangered looks specifically at animals under threat.  It has a very similar format to The State of the Planet - short but detailed articles on different topics, plenty of illustrations, index and glossary.  But it has more explanation on what is being done by zoos and scientists and volunteers to deal with the problems.

Given that Australia’s zoos are world leaders in breeding and conservation, much of the book looks at local programs involving native and overseas animals.  Possums and snow leopards, stick insects and rhinos all feature as successes and future challenges are explained.

The great appeal of both books is the respect they give to their subjects and to their readers.  They inform without being overwhelming and let the reader reach personal conclusions.  As warnings about these issues, they are streets ahead of so many of the other evangelists.

Review by David Beagley

© 2002 David Beagley