Be Jane. 3 Books.

Dear Reader, 

Jane Goodall died this week. Like many others, I looked up to her a great deal. She was a trailblazer, but let’s face it – any one of us could be a trailblazer. If we tried. If we took the risk. If we cast off the judgement of others. History will be defined by the action we take, both individually and collectively. Jane said, “The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” In my 8 years volunteering in the gun violence prevention space, I saw apathy first hand. It angers me. People say they care, but do nothing. Today, I call on you and your children to pick a cause. Devote one hour a month to making life better for the environment, for marginalized communities, for all of us. We need more people to step up. With that in mind, I highlight 3 books this week: 

1. Picture book: Island Storm by Brian Floca & Art by Sydney Smith (2025) 

Two children decide to take one last look at the ocean before a raging storm arrives. This book is lyrical, filled with lovely alliteration and onomatopoeia. I love the refrain, “You pull on me, and I pull on you, and we decide to go.” Who will you pull on? Where will you decide to go when the storm arrives? Will you bear witness, like the two children, or will you hunker down? 

2. Chapter Book: Amina Banana And The Formula for Friendship by Shifa Saltagi Safadi & Art by Aaliya Jaleel (2025)

Amina has arrived in the midwestern United States from Syria. It’s her first day of American school - she has come up with the perfect “formula” for making friends. This chapter book is filled with relatable material on fitting in and friendships. It reminds me of 2016. Newly pregnant with my daughter, I helped a Syrian refugee family settle in an apartment in Chicago and soon became friends with them. 

3. Middle Grade: The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz-Flores (2025) 

Petra is a teenager living in Texas during the 1930s. Her father recently died and her stepmother’s wages aren’t enough to support the family. Petra has to quit her beloved school and go work as a pecan sheller. The factory conditions are abysmal and the pay isn’t enough for survival. The workers organize to fight for their right to a living wage. This is a timely book about the power of organizing and building community.  

Let’s live out James Baldwin’s call to action, “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.” What will you do to protect our children and the future earth they will inherit? Be Jane. Favor action over apathy and fuel our hope for the future. 

Thank you for reading, 

Melanie