Elin Kelsey

“Hope is a radical act in times like these, and How to Be Hopeful is a beautifully executed explanation of why it’s so needed in the environmental space.”—Leah Thomas, @greengirlleah, author of The Intersectional EnvironmentalistFor readers of All We Can Save and The Story of More comes a grounded and empowering how-to guide to being hopeful in an era of climate anxiety.“Are you hopeful?” That is the question elin kelsey is most often asked when she speaks to young people about the emotions and anxiety wrought by the climate crisis. How to Be Hopeful is kelsey’s answer, an inspiring exploration of hope as an active, evidence-based response to climate change and environmental degradation. Hope is not merely a passive feeling but an active choice, a stance that must be nurtured despite the ever-present sense of despair and hopelessness that often accompanies the state of the world.Through personal reflections, scientific insights, and practical exercises, How to Be Hopeful emphasizes emotional awareness, community collaboration, and the agency of both humans and non-human species. Some of the practices described in the book include:Accepting your fears without fatalismSourcing solutions-focused news and tracking positive trendsActing from your unique giftsPracticing interspecies etiquetteGathering strength from your circles of supportA seminal contribution to the field of environmental justice, How to Be Hopeful empowers readers to confront their own emotional landscapes, engage in collective action, envision a sustainable future, and ultimately, cultivate a hopeful and resilient response to the pressing issues of our time.

“This book comes at just the right moment. It is NOT too late if we get together and take action, NOW.” —Jane GoodallFears about climate change are fueling an epidemic of despair across the world: adults worry about their children’s future; thirty-somethings question whether they should have kids or not; and many young people honestly believe they have no future at all.In the face of extreme eco-anxiety, scholar and award-winning author Elin Kelsey argues that our hopelessness—while an understandable reaction—is hampering our ability to address the very real problems we face. Kelsey offers a powerful solution: hope itself.Hope Matters boldly breaks through the narrative of doom and gloom to show why evidence-based hope, not fear, is our most powerful tool for change. Kelsey shares real-life examples of positive climate news that reveal the power of our mindsets to shape reality, the resilience of nature, and the transformative possibilities of individual and collective action. And she demonstrates how we can build on positive trends to work toward a sustainable and just future, before it’s too late.Praise for Hope Matters“Whether you consider yourself a passionate ally of nature, a busy bystander, or anything in between, this book will uplift your spirits, helping you find hope in the face of climate crisis.”—Veronica Joyce Lin, North American Association for Environmental Education “30 Under 30”“A tonic in hard times.”—Claudia Dreyguis, author of Scientific Conversations: Interviews on Science from the New York Times“Beautifully written and an effective antidote against apathy and inaction.”—Christof Mauch, Director, Rachel Carson Center for the Environment and SocietyPublished in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

How do we say goodbye to a loved one after they die? This book broaches a difficult topic in a heartfelt way by exploring the beauty in how animals mourn. From elephants to whales, parrots to bonobos, and lemurs to humans, we all have rituals to commemorate our loved ones and to lift each other up in difficult times. New from the award-winning team behind You Are Stardust, Wild Ideas, and You Are Never Alone, this book gently recognizes death as a natural part of life for humans and all animals. Written in spare, poetic language and illustrated with stunning dioramas, it draws out our similarities with other animals as it honors the universal experience of mourning. The touching and uplifting book ends on a hopeful note, showing how we live on both in memories and on the planet, our bodies nourishing new life in the Earth and the oceans.

If people were planets, we'd be a lot like Earth ...People are nature. From the water we drink to the trees we climb, we are connected to the natural world in big and surprising ways. With simple, poetic text, and exquisite artwork, You Are Stardust introduces kids to these connections - sparking their imaginations and starting conversations. Combining the ideas of environmental author and educator Elin Kelsey with inventive, three-dimensional dioramas by artist Soyeon Kim, this remarkable picture book reveals ties that are often sensed, yet seldom explained. Children will learn that the salt in their body is the same as the salt in the ocean, that they learned to speak in the same way that baby birds do - by copying their parents, and that elephants, bats and whales make friends, just like they do. In a world dominated by technology, never have these connections between people and nature been more worth exploring.

We live in a time of heightened environmental awareness, and this knowledge is creating a generation of children with feelings of eco-anxietythe world is doomed, isn't it? Maybe not. This book allays kids' fears by showing how all is not lost. Young readers learn about the remarkable time they live in: smart technologies, innovative ideas, and a growing commitment to alternative lifestyles are exploding around the world. Each chapter begins by taking familiar objectsT-shirts, video games, bikesand using these as launching pads to delve into related environmental issues. Plus, profiles of unexpected personalities, like happiness researcher Catherine O'Brien, show how many are seeking viable solutions to the serious problems facing our planet.

From the creators of You Are Stardust comes a new informational picture book that brings the big ideas of their first book down to earth. Wild Ideas looks deep into the forests, skies and oceans to explore how animals solve problems. Whether it's weaving a safe place to rest and reflect, blowing a fine net of bubbles to trap fish, or leaping boldly into a new situation, the animals featured (including the orangutan, humpback whale and gibbon) can teach us a lot about creative problem solving tools and strategies. Like You Are Stardust, this book uses lyrical text grounded in current science alongside wonderfully detailed art to present problems as doorways to creative thinking. Wild Ideas encourages an inquiry-based approach to learning, inviting readers to indulge their sense of wonder and curiosity by observing the natural world, engaging with big ideas and asking questions. An author's note at the end delves deeper into the research behind the text.

You Are Stardust begins by introducing the idea that every tiny atom in our bodies came from a star that exploded long before we were born. From its opening pages, the book suggests that we are intimately connected to the natural world; it compares the way we learn to speak to the way baby birds learn to sing, and the growth of human bodies to the growth of forests. Award-winning author Elin Kelsey -- along with a number of concerned parents and educators around the world -- believes children are losing touch with nature. This innovative picture book aims to reintroduce children to their innate relationship with the world around them by sharing many of the surprising ways that we are all connected to the natural world. Grounded in current science, this extraordinary picture book provides opportunities for children to use their imaginations and wonder about some big ideas. Soyeon Kim's incredible diorama art enhances the poetic text, and her creative process is explored in full on the reverse side of the book's jacket, which features comments from the artist. Young readers will want to pore over each page of this book, exploring the detailed artwork and pondering the message of the text, excited to find out just how connected to the Earth they really are.

We live in a time of heightened environmental awareness, and the stress of this pervasive alarmism is creating a generation of kids with feelings of eco-anxiety -- the world is doomed, isn't it? Maybe not. Not Your Typical Book about the Environment aims to allay some of these fears by showing how all is not lost. Young readers will learn about the remarkable time that they are living in: the Anthropocene era where humans are the dominating environmental force on Earth. This is a time of amazing possibilities as smart technologies, innovative ideas, and a growing commitment to alternative lifestyles are exploding around the world. Each chapter begins by taking everyday objects from a kids' world -- T-shirts, video games, bikes -- and using these as launching pads to delve into related environmental issues and information. Profiles of unexpected personalities, like Catherine O'Brien, a happiness researcher, are featured throughout. These profiles enforce the overall message that this time of crisis can instead be seen as a time of great opportunity

Personal, anecdotal, and highly engaging, "Watching Giants" opens a window on a world that seems quite like our own, yet is so different that understanding it pushes the very limits of our senses. Elin Kelsey's colorful first-person account, drawing from her rich, often humorous, everyday experiences as a mother, a woman, and a scientist, takes us to the incredibly productive waters of the Gulf of California and beyond, to oceans around the world. Kelsey brings us along as she talks to leading cetacean researchers and marine ecologists about their intriguing discoveries. We encounter humpback whales that build nets from bubbles, gain a disturbing maternal perspective on the dolphin-tuna issue, uncover intimate details about whale sex, and contemplate the meaning of the complex social networks that exist in the seas. What emerges alongside these fascinating snapshots of whale culture is a dizzying sense of the tremendous speed with which we are changing the oceans' ecosystems - through overfishing, noise pollution, even real estate development. "Watching Giants" introduces a world of immense interconnectivity and beauty - one that is now facing imminent peril.