Interview and Exclusive Excerpt: Alison Pearce Stevens Brings Us Some True Animal Climate Heroes

There is a temptation, when running a children’s literature blog, to stay entirely in the fictional lane. Interviewing picture book authors and novel writers is fun, no question, but what about the informational book creators? Where’s their parade? Where’s their appearances on late night shows?

The time is now! Today we’re talking to author Alison Pearce Stevens about her upcoming Animal Climate Heroes, out March 5th. And better still, we’re going to give you a peek at an excerpt from it as well. What could be better?

But what’s this book about? Here’s the book’s description. And I’m giving the writer of this flap copy some extra points for creativity too:

In our left corner we have the meanest villain that’s ever existed. Responsible for rising seas and loss of biodiversity, it’s climate change ready to wreak havoc on the Earth. But in our right corner? We have four superheroes ready to save the day!

Forest elephants protect our forests by trampling trees.

Whales boost ocean health with their massive poo-nados.

Sea otters defend kelp forests from purple invaders.

And echidnas bury tons of soil to stop climate change.

But we can’t leave them in this fight alone. We need to protect our heroes who, in return, defend our planet. Get ready to learn all about these four legged, and two-flippered, creatures and how YOU can be a climate hero too!

Happily, Alison was more than willing to discuss what truly embodies a climate hero of the animalian persuasion:

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Betsy Bird: Alison! So delightful to talk to you today. And congrats on the upcoming publication of ANIMAL CLIMATE HEROES! In the last few years we’ve seen (unsurprisingly) a distinct uptick in books about adult climate heroes and even kid activists as well. Yours, however, is the first to center the animals who are doing their own good work. Where did the idea for this particular book come from?

Alison Pearce Stevens: Hi Betsy! I’m thrilled to be here. Thanks so much for having me.

The idea for Animal Climate Heroes came about during the early days of the pandemic, when everything was shut down. I was worried about keeping my family healthy and worried about climate change, and it all felt so overwhelming. But one day I looked out the window and leaves were emerging. Birds were singing. I had this powerful sense of hope. Shortly after, I attended a webinar and the presenter mentioned her favorite fact: Sea otters help fight climate change. My background is in zoology and behavioral ecology, and this really resonated with me. I immediately started looking for other animals that play a similar role.

Maybe it’s because of my background, but it’s bothered me for a long time that we hear so much about climate and so little about threats to natural spaces, which are just as important. A lot of people don’t realize the two are intricately linked. So this book became a way for me to highlight those connections and drive home the importance of protecting nature—so it can help us fight this massive issue of climate change—while focusing on fascinating critters I knew kids would love.

BB: Tell us a little bit about the research that went into this title. I suspect that when you had the idea you had a couple animals already in mind. Was it difficult finding more?

APS: Sea otters from that webinar, and I had read something about whales, so I started with those two. Then I decided to search for examples that spanned the globe and look for critters that interact with their environments in different ways. This allowed me to find a nice variety of animals. I started with 14 but my editor, Laura Godwin, suggested we winnow it down to just four. That wasn’t easy! I had to break them into tiers, keeping in mind my desire to include animals from around the world and those that work in different ways. I still have the reserve tiers waiting in the wings; I’d love for them to get some attention someday.

BB: As would we! Did anything surprise you in the course of your research?

APS: I was blown away when I learned that forest elephants—which can be pretty destructive—actually make trees stronger. And that echidnas have backward-facing hind feet so they can dig more efficiently.

When I do a deep dive into a topic, I always uncover bizarre little gems—those fun facts that make you stop and say, “Wait, what?” and send you down a rabbit hole to learn more. I end up telling my family about them at dinner. My kids know thousands of random facts from things I’ve said or written over the years. When they were younger they would try to stump me with “Did you know …” questions. More often than not, they’d say something I’d told them or they’d read in one of my books.

BB: At my library we have an award we give out annually to children’s nature books called The Blueberry and each year we find that we have to distinguish between the potential inclusions that lean too heavily into the doom and gloom scenario of the current state of climate change and those that offer a bit of hope. Your book certainly falls more on the hopeful side of the equation. As an author, how do you personally handle that dichotomy when writing for kids?

APS: I absolutely understand the sense of doom—it’s hard for me some days to shake it off and find hope. But doom and gloom are counterproductive. Back in my days in academia, I taught a course called Psychology of Environmental Sustainability. One of the big things we covered in that class was the importance of providing hope and a way to move forward. As soon as we give in to doom and gloom on an issue, we stop working to fix it. Worse, we tend to self-soothe, which usually involves activities like driving or shopping that only exacerbate the problem. If we continue down that self-soothing doom-and-gloom path, we’re headed for the worst-case scenario.

But climate change and environmental degradation are problems we can fix. We know how. We have the tools. We just need everyone to get on board to be part of the solution.

I’m a firm believer that kids are smarter than many people believe. They know there are problems! And they want to help solve them. My goal when I write is to give them information in a way they can process without being overwhelmed, then give them hope and empower them to make things better. Any time I tackle a tough topic, I try to leave my readers with at least one concrete step they can take, so they can feel a sense of control in a chaotic world.

I do this for adults, too. I have a free Substack called One Simple Thing that provides small, concrete steps people can take to reduce their impact on the environment. The goal is to provide manageable tools to help people overcome their sense of doom and move us toward a sustainable future. If millions of people took these small steps, it would make a real difference in the world.

BB: The art by Jason Ford gives it a distinct, quirky look that’s sure to attract comic book readers right off the bat. Were you aware of Jason’s work before he was paired with this book? What do you think about the final product?

APS: I was not aware of Jason’s work, but he was the perfect choice for this. His illustrations are fun and powerful and elevate the book to a level I hadn’t dreamed possible. And he is the kindest person, offering to create new spot art for the book trailer and reworking some things for other promotional materials. I couldn’t be happier with the choice to have him illustrate. I’m super proud of our book.

BB: Okay, so while I’m sure that you love all the animals in this book equally, blah blah blah, spill the beans. Which of the four species in this book is your absolute favorite, bar none?

APS: This is a tough one, because I really do love them all. But my current favorite is the echidna. It’s about the size of a large cat, covered in spines, has those backward-facing feet, long claws, a pouch like a kangaroo—and lays eggs! Its closest relative is the platypus, and it’s a fascinating animal. I’d like to visit Australia so I can see one up close and personal.

BB: Excellent choice. Finally, what’s next for you? Anything else you’re working on?

APS: I have three other books coming out in the next two years, all on environmental topics. Detective Dogs are on the Case (Holiday House, September 2024) looks at how conservation dogs are helping to sniff out invasive species to protect our ecosystems. The Wild Mile (Holiday House, summer 2025) showcases a team of people working to rewild the Chicago River. Their goal is to bring wildlife back to the city and encourage people to spend more time out in nature. And in 2026, When Beavers Move In (Godwin Books/Henry Holt), a picture book with Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan, will showcase the extraordinary ways the Tulalip Tribes are healing their ancestral lands by reintroducing beavers to the Cascade Mountains. (Beavers were on my original list for Animal Climate Heroes; I’m delighted to give them their own book.)

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Alison is lucky I didn’t know about her upcoming beaver book from the start because if I had I would have only asked her questions about them. Beavers 4-EVAH!!

Now here’s an excerpt from the book in question. Just click on the pictures to enlarge them. And yes. Poo will ensue:

Many thanks to Alison for taking the time to answer my questions today. Thanks too to Kelsey Marrujo and the good folks at Macmillan Children’s for bringing this to me. Animal Climate Heroes is out March 5th, so be sure to look for it in fine libraries and bookstores then.

Filed under: Excerpts, Interviews