In truth, I think I had lost faith in the power of my story and its ability to deliver its green message. So when Chi and I were invited to take part in Climate Story Lab , a coalition of organisations and individuals who work to support the very best communication about the climate crisis, I was skeptical. I went with Chi to the conference in London, sure I would feel out of place with so many amazing and experienced documentary makers, most of whom were young enough to be my children. But when our turn came to present our film, I was asked to read The Promise aloud. I was really nervous, but I’ve read those words so many times. I let them take me and I watched as they broke in the room like a wave. The response was incredible, the audience understood that the story of The Promise was a climate change fable that asked people to change and change now. Evaluation: The author has stated that she wanted to show kids who have had bad starts in life that change is possible, for both yourself and the world around you. It’s a nice story, although I’m not sure if it realistically conveys the author’s message, but the artwork is lovely and unique, and is sure to garner prizes.

Chi, Laura and I have an organisation, Wild Labs, who are putting together our impact campaign. The idea is that children, schools, families and communities make Promises for the Planet, that the organisations with which we partner can help them deliver. They may for instance want to make a promise to establish a school garden, and we can partner them with an organisation ready to offer help and funding for that. They may want to promise to save an area of biodiverse rainforest, so we can pair them with a conservation organisation like The World Land Trust . Or they may simply want to plant a tree, and we can make that happen too. What do the colours suggest,? The palette is mainly muted greys, but the girls blue jeans soften the image. The red bird stands out as a splash of bright colour in an otherwise drab world. Why did Laura Carlin choose to do that? Is the bird significant? Pretty soon the city was filled with little trees that enchanted people, and they began to plant trees and flowers and vegetables everywhere: A fitting farewell, still funny, acute, and positive in its view of human nature even in its 37th episode. This lesson is suitable for use with secondary learners with a pre-intermediate level of English and beyond.

The Iron Man

This is a lovely picture book which highlights the joy that spreading kindness can bring to an individual. The story begins in a mean and cruel city with no plant life, miserable people and lots of unhappiness. However, after a chance encounter with a stranger the main protagonist, who had previously been described as mean and cruel just like the city she grew up in, begins to see a change within herself. She steals what she believes to be a bag of food from an old lady in an alley but it turns out to be a bag of acorns. Having made a promise to the lady, the girl begins planting seeds around the city. Soon, the streets become vibrant with trees and wildlife and the people themselves begin to change too. The girls travels around local areas planting seeds and spreading joy until one day the bag of acorns is stolen from her. She makes the thief make the same promise she did before handing over the bag, therefore continuing the cycle.

Within the softly drawn, gentle pictures there's a harsh city environment portrayed by the predominance of greys, browns and shades of blue. The hard lines of buildings, streets and roads yield nothing but the tough life its inhabitants strive to live. You sense their harsh choices and existence. As a reader you are forced into the inhospitable and overwhelming city by the cleverly drawn perspective of windows, floors, chimneys, roads, cars and traffic lights. To add impact the writing is super; metaphor, simile, alliteration and the emphasis of life in 3s really paints a picture that is almost poetic to read. The Elephant Road (2013) with illustration by Annabel Wright, published by Walker Books (Heroes of the Wild series) They link to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (#1, #2) and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (#9, #19, #24, #26, #27, #40).Within 'The Promise' Davies has created a picture book that encourages every reader to consider their actions and their consequences in a way which is equally impactful on children as it is with adults. Making it almost impossible to see how this book wouldn't make a great addition to any primary classroom or any learning environment. The lessons are informed by a story-based methodology (Ellis and Brewster, 1991; 2014) and a story-based e-methodology for video picturebook read-alouds (Ellis and Gruenbaum, 2023). The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the chapter-book world.