I wrote this rhyming Dr Seuss-esque (he is my hero) poem to enable parents and teachers to talk about climate change with kids in a fun and non-scary way. I wanted to explain the actual science in an accessible manner, and give children some hope and solutions – small things they can do to contribute to addressing this very real global challenge. I hope you like it!

The World is Getting Hotter

I am a Greenguff
A kind of a bird
I know lots of stuff
Tho’ my name’s quite absurd

But I’m not going to tell you
All about me
Rather let’s talk ‘bout
The sun and the sea

The climate is changing
You can see with your eyes
It should not really be
Duh! Such a surprise

The world’s getting hotter
And we can’t get away
The sea’s getting higher
Rising, they say

The rain’s getting harder
Storms getting worse
The dry places drier
It seems like a curse

Global warming, it’s called
It’s happening everywhere
The sad thing is
Many people don’t care

The climate is changing
It affects us ALL
Every plant, every animal
No matter how small

It’s not just the polar bears
Sitting glumly on the ice
It affects those in China
Trying to grow their rice

It’ll make our lives harder
Many species will not last
The Greenguff could be one of them
So we better act fast

It’s all about this gas
This gas called C O 2
We’re making too much of it
And it’s going to land us in the poo

So how do we make it?
Is your question to me
Where does it come from?
Read on and you’ll see…

By making electricity
That turns on our lights
Charges our cell phones
And washes our whites

We also produce it
By driving in cars
And by flying in planes
To places afar

Earth has a blanket
That keeps it warm
But the gases we make
Change its form

They trap more heat
So it gets hotter still
How long can this go on
Before we all get ill?

So where should we go?
There’s no second earth
We have to do something
Else what is it worth?

There are hundreds of things
We can do every day
And for many of them
Yay! We don’t have to pay

It’s all about changing
The way we do what we do
We can make a difference
It really is true!

You can ride on a bike
Instead of a car
Or even a bus
Is better by far

You can switch off the lights
When you go out the room
You can make a difference
It’s not all doom and gloom!

You can turn off the heater
And put on some socks
You can get under a blanket
Snuggle up with some chocs

You can take shorter showers
So there’s less water to heat
Try eating veggies
Rather than meat

If you want more ideas
You can look on the net
Or just ask a Greenguff
They’ll help you, I’ll bet

There are plenty of things
You can do if you try
And then just perhaps
Our planet won’t fry!

© Michelle Preen, 2019