The Book Incubator, 2016
Bella is a young girl on a mission. As a 10-year-old, she published a book called Bella’s Challenge – A Kid’s Take on the 17 United Nations (UN) Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
Bella has a deep concern for the welfare of the planet, people and how we treat each other. She found that the UN General Assembly had developed a plan to create a more harmonious and caring way of living, but she is aware that for these changes to become a reality everyone needs to get involved, including kids.
In this delightful book, Bella explains simply what the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development are, how they came about, and how we can make small steps to meeting these goals. Bella does this by issuing challenges on each of the goals. These challenges are positive ways that everyone can begin to make a difference for the benefit of our planet and community.
The format of the book makes for easy reading and clarity on such a weighty subject. Each page has a goal, a short summary of what it means and then lists three or four challenges that will help make these goals a reality; things that kids, adults and communities can do.
A delightful picture on each page relates to the goal illustrating the positive impact these goals can have. Bold colour is also used effectively throughout the book. A great example is goal number six, which is ‘Clean water and sanitation for everyone’. Bella’s challenges on this goal are as simple as checking that taps are turned off properly, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth and washing your hands properly and regularly.
Bella has already made a big impact by raising awareness of issues in her local Bunbury community. She has raised money to provide lockers for homeless people in her home city and recently spoke to state politicians who were visiting. This book is inspiring to both adults and children alike.
Bella will be a presenter at the Deep Listening Festival in Margaret River on 7 April. This will be a great opportunity to hear this bright ten-year-old expand on her ideas of how we can all make the world a better place. Click here to find out more.
Mary Elton
Revive Magazine 