Oil by Jonah Winter - ADVISABLE

Oil by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Jeanette Winter. PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster), 2020. $18. 9781534430778

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

In short sentences and brief descriptions, this story moves through oil being pumped out of the ground, transported through the wilderness and loaded into barges. Then the barge hits an iceberg and oil spills out into the ocean, killing much of the sea-life. 

I feel a little torn with this book. It represents a very sad and true piece of history, but it also felt very villanizing toward oil production in general. I would have liked a little follow up about how oil is used and what precautions are necessary to be good stewards of the earth.  

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher