Fiction shares these concerns.
However, the least we can do is to refrain from passing on our helpless hysteria to our kids. Kids don't need indoctrination; they'll draw their own conclusions soon enough. A parent's job is to give children the confidence to face things about which we don't yet have a clue. And among the components of confidence are hope and imagination, which are much more effectively fostered by good books than by well-intentioned ones.
In science, the best children's books about environmental awareness aren't making a case for anything; they just assume environmental science is an exciting field. My favorite is Loree Griffin Burns' "Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion" (Houghton Mifflin: $18, ages 9-12): This is where I first learned about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, of mankind's utter inability to dispose properly of plastics.
Blake Nelson is a novelist who specializes in smart but confused teen boy heroes, the kind you know will be OK if they can just catch a break. He captures the grand visions and the generalized irritation of teen idealism in "Destroy All Cars" (Scholastic: $17.99, ages 14 and up). The book opens with James' homework assignment to write a "four-page persuasive essay." His passionate argument for abandoning cars earns a C-plus and the comment: "too emotional and not supported by facts . . . calling people names is not an effective way to sway them to your point of view." In the course of this wonderful novel, James' ideals are put to the test by his longing for a beautiful girl who collects signatures on do-good petitions and might be impressed if James could take her out in a cool car. Altogether, James' consideration of "the lameness of people in general" -- which he fairly applies also to himself -- gives a nuanced look at why it's hard to change anything in the world but also why it's a noble cause worth striving for.
For younger children, the picture book "The Curious Garden" by
"Camping With the President" by Ginger Wadsworth, illustrated by Karen Dugan (Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press: $16.95, age 8 and up) tells the story of how
Perhaps the most mind-bending recent book on the subject is "Redwoods" by Jason
Bolle's Word Play column appears at www.latimes.com/books.