Almost a decade ago, a concerning report came out revealing a harsh decline of ‘nature’ content in children’s books. These presented a widespread representation of built environments and domesticated or anthropomorphised animals, rendering natural environments and wild animals invisible in children’s literature. In the report it was argued that the worrying phenomenon was due to the increased use of screens which were isolating people from the natural world and were causing a decline in general environmental concern. However, this increased connectivity might be the reason why in the last year there has been a radical change in children’s book publishing in regards to the environmental subject matter.

Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has become an international online phenomenon in the last year, inspiring people to consider the ecological impact of their choices on the natural world and what they can do to promote and introduce environmentally conscious practices and legislations. Her work as an activist, which has been widely broadcasted through social media, has impacted especially young people who identify with the general demographic dilemma of ‘being too small to make a difference,’ in what has been termed as the ‘Greta effect’.

The ‘Greta effect’ has been especially perceived in the publishing industry as the number of children’s books being published have skyrocketed, with more than double the amount of books being printed. This has also reflected in the demand for this type of literature among young readers and conscious parents as sales numbers have been growing by more than 50%. Books are important, both publishers and authors think, because reading gives children the power and knowledge with which to act with their own agency, and it makes them feel like they can help and make a difference, even if their actions are small and limited: children also get to be involved as eco-warriors.

In my opinion, despite this being a trend-led publishing phenomenon, it has the potential of generating a deep impression on a whole generation which will look at the world with new green eyes, and which will create a new standard for the publishing industry (not limited to children’s literature, but widespread across all genres and age divisions). One in which readers will expect the natural environment not to be merely the background to a set of characters and actions, but which will be intrinsic to the stories being printed.

Sources:

The Greta Effect: Sales of Children’s Books About Climate Double (Global Citizen)

Tears at bedtime: are children’s books on environment causing climate anxiety? (The Guardian)

Has Nature Disappeared from Children’s Books? (NatHab)

‘Greta effect’ leads to boom in children’s environmental books (The Guardian)