The Importance of Writing Eco-Adventures by Hannah Gold
Hannah Gold writes powerful eco- adventures for middle grade readers. Winning awards and capturing imaginations, she recently wrote a lovely blog for us about writing eco-adventures.
The Importance of Writing Eco-Adventures
Hannah Gold
My first book, The Last Bear, was never intended to be an eco-adventure. As an animal lover, my initial aim was to simply capture the bond between a young girl and a wild polar bear. It was only when researching the story, that I soon discovered how impossible it would be to write a contemporary book about polar bears without referencing the melting ice-caps.
It was the same story with The Lost Whale, which touches upon the threats facing marine mammals, Finding Bear, the sequel to The Last Bear and now with my fourth and newest book, Turtle Moon – a Costa Rican adventure starring one intrepid 11-year-old girl called Silver, a huge leatherback turtle and eighty-nine precious turtle eggs.
Why turtles? I hear you ask. Because here is a species that has been around since the time of the dinosaurs but which is now facing multiple threats to their survival. And I know from the letters I receive and the conversations I have with children, that many of my readers feel incredibly anxious in the face of so much wildlife loss.
Because there’s no getting away from it. Climate change is a scary thing on top of lots of other scary things happening right now. This means as a children’s author, I feel I have a level of responsibility to my younger readers. Fear, in itself is counter-productive whereas I have always been interested in cultivating the dual powers of empathy and empowerment. How can we use stories to engage not just emotion, but also to ignite transformation? To show children (and grown-ups!) that our actions, however tiny, can actually make a difference.
(And here, I must thank teachers and librarians everywhere. I am perpetually in awe of how they use my books in the classroom not just to inspire students but also to inspire change.)
But finally, even though my books revolve about big and serious topics, I try to make sure that I always focus on story first. Hopefully, an exciting and entertaining story at that! In an age where reading is on the decline, I am not here to preach. Children can sniff that a mile off. I am forever conscious of how to make my books as engaging and as light as possible and the reality is, I work very hard at making them fast, pacey but also thoughtful and emotive reads.
Because like all children’s authors, I am here to write books that children want to pick up. To write books which speak even to the most reluctant of readers. And to write books which hopefully leave children with a passion for reading that transcends beyond my four titles.
To leave you with a turtle analogy, each children’s book which achieves that magical thing of igniting a love of reading is just like a hatchling released into the ocean – ensuring that the future generation of readers will not just survive, but flourish for years to come.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
