Change The World For Ten Bucks [Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

I love this book. It manages to be fun and inspirational all at once! If you want to know how you can make a difference to this planet and the community you live in, this is the book to have. It made me laugh and cry!

Change The World For 10 Bucks was first published Great Britain (2004) by Shorts Books Ltd as Change the World For a Fiver, and was recently adapted for a Canadian audience through New Society Publishers in 2006. New Society Publishers is renowned and highly respected in the industry as a company that focuses on books that teach sustainability, improve lifestyle and forward environmental causes.

When I received the (2007) Winter Issue of Canadian Teacher Magazine - which featured a book that I co-wrote with my husband, Trash Talk, and this book, Change the World - I was so excited to send a request for a review copy of this book. The back cover text contains a similar message to what we used for in the first paragraph of Trash Talk?s back cover text and this called me like a magnet. The more information like this that we can provide individuals will certainly reverse negative feelings about our lives and the impact we have on the environment.

Unfortunately, I was less impressed when I actually received Change the World and began the review process and actually wondered if the reviewers on the back cover were paid for their services.

For one thing, I just could not figure out the age group or the audience the authors are aiming to reach. The promotions for the book claim it is a book for everyone, yet the pages are designed for an audience of young children; the illustrations are certainly appropriate for children no older than perhaps 5 years. Large cartoon-like drawings and occasional images and text flow over both full-color pages, so that the book can be held up to a group while reading. Some of the ideas are simple and appropriate for young readers - such as 'smile' or 'make someone laugh'. Yet other options would suit children aged 7 and older, such as taking a bus, shopping locally and choosing to use cloth bags as an alternative to plastic shopping bags. Interspersed between these ideas are things only mature adults with disposable income can consider doing - such as investing wisely with the environment in mind.

I found the 'environmental' theme is often contradicted, such as the idea of mowing someone's lawn as a favor... with a gas mower. A more environmentally friendly approach to lawn maintenance are modern push mowers, which are very light, easy to maintain and can be hung on a wall, and therefore take less storage space.

Another aspect that seems to contradict the environmental theme for the book are that the pages typically have fewer than a hundred words, which is appropriate for a younger audience, however several pages have no other illustration or information at all - which wastes paper and color ink for no reason.

There was only one action, # 17, that I felt was inappropriate. While I agree many people tend to watch too much TV, I do question that wearing gold, staying up all night, shaving something off or streaking could be considered as appropriate alternatives.

I could not help but see Action # 35, 'write to someone who inspired you', as a terrible waste of paper - two full color pages (orange/no illustrations) with only 20 words and a postcard that peals away - this blatant attempt at self-promotion uses the postcard to advertise the book. Likewise with the tear-away cards for getting to know our neighbors - people don't need a card to go and meet their neighbor, and once again, the card is also a form of advertising for the book. The self-promotion does not end there, Action 47 actually recommends purchasing Change the World For Ten Bucks as a gift for others.

However, the book's basic overall aim is to show people that they really can make a difference in their communities with simple, everyday actions. I like the slogan the book uses 'We are what we do' which is similar to the slogan we use for Trash Talk 'We can force changes by making changes'. One of the best aspects of Change the World For Ten Bucks is Action 49 'Learn more, do more', which lists nearly 100 websites for further learning and ideas for applying the actions listed in the book.

The book itself is printed on paper 100% derived from post consumer waste materials, processed without chlorine and is free of ancient growth forest. Their efforts with this book have reached a global scale. Individuals and organizations from the UK, Australia, Deutschland, and Canada contributed to the creation of Change the World For Ten Bucks.

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

"Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways." -- Proverbs 8:32

Children are natural world improvers. They like to help. But they often don't know what they can do. The idea of listing and illustrating a series of actions that youngsters can take to improve the world is a commendable idea.

This book doesn't, however, carry off the concept well enough. Some of the content isn't child safe (such as the encouragement for people of the opposite sex to bathe with one another as illustrated with the suggestion). A lot of the content is standard conservation that doesn't exactly need a two page spread. And in the spirit of conversation, you can use a lot fewer resources by providing this material as Web content rather than as a book.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews...

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!