— Turtle's Climate Adventure, illustrations by Jasper Jimenez, 2023
Turtle's Climate Adventure
Children's Book
As the Director of Finance at Youth Climate Action Team Inc., I worked to bring arts-based climate programming to life, blending creativity with environmental education.
Together with my team of co-authors (Odessa Zhang, Vihaan Mathur, and Sonia Mukherjee) and our illustrator (Jasper Jimenez), Turtle's Climate Adventure was born, a fully illustrated children's book created to support elementary school students', particularly those in underserved Title I schools in the United States, engagement in the climate movement.​
Turtle’s Climate Adventure is an interactive, whimsical tale inviting our youngest community members into conversations about how to address climate issues. Led by our turtle protagonist, readers are guided through the definition and origins of climate change, its impacts, and tangible ways that students can take action.
As an added perk, students, parents, and educators can access a free activity guide complete with additional resources, games, and exercises that students can do alone or with the help of an adult.
Explore our process . . .
THE ASK
Publish an interactive children's book inviting elementary schoolers to discuss climate change and solutions, with emphasis on educational accessibility.
PROJECT SPECS
10
Months spent planning, writing, illustrating & designing
$2,000
Raised through crowdfunding & a grant from Karma for Cara
10+
Schools received free copies of the book and activity guide
KEY SKILLS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
COLLABORATION
CREATIVE WRITING + STORYTELLING
FUNDRAISING
EDITING
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING
PROCESS
Brainstorming
As student climate organizers, we wanted to connect and share climate action with even younger audiences. Our remote team met to discuss our shared goals and how to convey them, consulting with both internal and external personnel to pool ideas.
Research
With a foundation of climate knowledge and resources at our disposal, we needed to communicate complex concepts to children without watering them down. We also needed a strategy for coordinating with key educators and schools.
Writing + Editing
Together, we spent months drafting and editing, sharing our progress with peer reviewers for feedback. We chose a narrative voice for our protagonist who spoke directly to the reader, referencing children's books with similar themes and/or tones.
Fundraising
As the Director of Finance, I led my team in diverse fundraising efforts, from grant writing to crowdfunding (i.e., GoFundMe), donor outreach, and fundraising campaigns. In total, we collecting over $2,000 and made sure to recognize our donors in the book's acknowledgements.
Publishing
After designing and formating, it was time to publish. We explored our options, including working with publishing companies and independent publishing, ultimately deciding on the independent route. We launched the book on Amazon to maintain accessibility.
Outreach & Marketing
To build authentic relationships with teachers and students at Title I schools, we consulted throughout our process to identify their needs. After publishing, we visited classrooms to engage directly with our market. Our outward marketing strategy relied primarily on social media.
RESEARCH AREAS
1
POLLUTION + SMOG
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Definitions, causes & effects
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Supporting imagery & sources
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Expansion of climate science topics
3
RISING SEA LEVELS
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Key causing factors
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Introduction of scientific terms and concepts
2
LANDFILLS + EMISSIONS
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Breakdown of greenhouse gases, from development to impact
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Simplified graphics
4
ACTION ITEMS
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Tips for age-appropriate dialogue
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Letter-writing to local representatives
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Compost "do's & don'ts"
SAMPLES
Conversational tone
Interactive element
— Jasper Jimenez, Youth Climate Action Team Inc., 2022
THE VOICE OF THE CHARACTER
Narrator
Mr. Turtle
Mr. Turtle, our friendly amphibious guide, narrates our story, speaking directly to the reader in a conversational form.
​
Inspired by classic children's books like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, this innovative approach to storytelling sought to bring the reader further into the story.
— Students working through the activity guide in class, 2023.
— Co-author Vihaan Mathur and Odessa Zhang reading to students, 2023.
Classroom Engagement
Book readings were offered in classrooms at participating schools to connect directly with students and educators.
— Co-authors Vihaan Mathur and Odessa Zhang, 2023.
— Student oragnizer, Leah, leading a bake sale fundraising for Turtle's Climate Adventure, 2022.
COLLABORATION
In addition to collaboration between co-authors and our illustrator, we worked with freelance book designers and formators to create a quality product. Student members of YCAT also participated in a peer review committee, providing intermittent feedback as the book progressed.
Leading the Finance department in various fundraising activities helped us achieve over $2,000 in donor funding and a grant from the organization Karma for Cara. Students on the Finance team engaged in individual fundraising activities, like bake sales.
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Finally, we consulted with publishing, creative writing, contracting, and environmental science experts.​​
In the Future
YCAT is currently translating Turtle's Climate Adventure into more languages, including Spanish, so more students will have access to climate action.
