NewS

The school boards of Vancouver and North Vancouver have adopted Steve and Eve! Both boards are placing a copy of the first book in the Steve and Eve series, “I Can Hear Your Heart Beep”, in all of their 102 elementary school libraries.

More school board news to come soon!

An orphaned polar bear named Steve with not enough fish to eat meets a lonely electric vehicle named Eve who ran away to the North Pole to escape being bullied by gas-guzzling cars. That’s the plot of a new graphic novel for young readers by award-winning B.C. authors Paul Shore and Deborah Katz Henriquez.

Launched at a book reading in March 2023, Steve and Eve Save the Planet: I Can Hear Your Heart Beep is the first offering in what the creators promise will be a series of books that tackle climate change. Shore, a trained engineer, and Katz Henriquez, a professor of nursing, hope their colourful characters and requisite gross-out jokes about herring breath and burps will entertain children—and also inspire them to take action.

Paul Shore and Deborah Katz Rodriguez join The CJN Daily to explain how their book promotes tikun olam, and why the message resonates with readers of all backgrounds.

A vibrant and funny graphic novel about the climate emergency that inspires kids to become more involved in saving the planet, Steve and Eve Save the Planet: I Can Hear Your Heart Beep is geared to 6–12 year-olds, but can also be enjoyed and appreciated by the young-at-heart. Early on, Eve, an electric vehicle, is looking for her peers but ends up in the Arctic and meets Steve, a polar bear with funky paws. In this page-turner, the characters take us on an engaging ride where they teach us about kindness, teamwork, and climate change using smart, witty language delivered in an entertaining and educational way. The colorful illustrations by Prashant Miranda deftly capture the amazing Arctic landscapes, and co-author Paul Shore and Deborah Katz Henriquez’s messaging leaves you with an uplifting and hopeful sense that we can work together for a better future.

In 2015, Paul Shore took his eight year-old daughter to test drive an electric vehicle. It was their first time in one. Instead of the usual grrrrrs and coughs of a gasoline-fuelled engine, the car gurgled and hummed – like it was delighted.

Back at the dealership, Jashia stepped out, wrapped her arms around the hood, and hugged the car. She said it had a “heart beep.”

“As adults, we tend to lose sight of the subtle things in life. Things she was noticing,” said Paul. “She loved that this car wasn’t stinky or hot. She felt it was more like a pet.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Paul Shore’s daughter was eight when they first decided to test drive an electric car.

At one point during a stop on their trip to the city, Shore looked over and saw her lying on the hood, as if hugging the car.

Paul Shore’s daughter was eight when they first decided to test drive an electric car.

At one point during a stop on their trip to the city, Shore looked over and saw her lying on the hood, as if hugging the car.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Jewish Independent - Feb 24, 2023

Series tries to inspire climate action

Tikkun olam, repairing the world, is a central tenet of Jewish life, but sometimes the task can seem overwhelming. The climate crisis looms large for all of us, but especially for younger folks, who will bear the brunt of its effects. A new graphic novel for 6-to-12-year-old readers offers an optimistic, fun story about the power of kindness – towards ourselves, other people, animals, the environment – to energize and inspire us to action, to at least try and fix things.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Paul Shore found happiness and won his teenage daughter’s praise when he left a successful career in high-tech to write climate action books for kids.I chatted with him at his home in Whistler, B.C., as he worked on his book and supervised his pre-teen son who was at home from school with a cold.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Read “Beyond the climate crisis gloom and doom” articles