Ours to Share

July 15, 2019
How are 8 billion people going to share the world? This latest title in the Orca Footprints series takes on the challenge of overpopulation. Jones (A Fair Deal, 2017) looks back at prehistory to demonstrate how the human population has grown; describes current efforts to share resources effectively; discusses the effect of the spread of human population on the natural world, including animal extinctions; and suggests actions young people can take. Her exposition is full of anecdotes from her personal life as well as recent news events. The lively design includes plentiful photographs (whose captions include their sources) and "Density Facts" in the sidebars. In her opening chapter, "Shaping the World," she compares the numbers of humans to single drops of water, a simile that may help young readers fathom the astonishing growth in population, and shows how humans have related to animals from the beginning. "Sharing the World" talks about fair sharing among humans: clean water, acceptance of refugees, treatment of Indigenous peoples, and the importance of libraries and education. "Whose World Is This?" focuses on animal relationships, including campers who share with wolves on a Canadian island and a Maasai teen's invention that allows his cattle-farming family to coexist with lions. "Sharing our Lives" concludes with many specific examples of young people taking action around the world. A strongly felt and convincingly argued case for more attention to fairness in the allocation of resources. (acknowledgments, resources, glossary, index). (Nonfiction. 9-12)

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October 1, 2019
Grades 4-6 While prehistoric people lived lightly on the planet, the exponential increase in human population has brought substantial, increasingly problematic changes. This book offers an overview of changes over the millennia and points out the threats to animal species as well as people when there's not enough water or arable land to support populations. Jones emphasizes that the poor bear an unfair burden when scarce natural resources lead to war or shortages of water, food, education, health care, and jobs. On the positive side, she points out ways that people, even kids, can help, such as growing food to share or aiding refugees. Very present in the discussions, Jones shares her experiences, reflections, and photos of family and friends, while encouraging readers to find practical ways to address issues such as fairness in sharing scarce natural resources. The last chapter introduces a number of young people who have done just that. The informative text is very readable and, with many color photos and other design elements, the book looks inviting. A forward-looking guide to sharing the planet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)