King Charles pens afterword for Ladybird climate change book 

King Charles has written a personal message to young readers in an afterword for a children’s book about climate change.

A Ladybird Book: Climate Change is an in-house project adapted from the Ladybird Expert title, published in 2017. The new title is illustrated by Aleesha Nandhra and has been updated with new climate data, an additional spread on the youth climate change movement and a new afterword, written last year, by the former Prince of Wales.  

“Ever since I was a young teenager I have been deeply worried about the way we have shaped our world," he begins. "I am pleased to see that children across the world … are now raising the alarm and calling for big changes to happen. Their efforts have emphasised the importance of caring about what life will be like in the future—there is a lesson in this for us all.” 

Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero and co-author of the book, said: “Children today have only known a planet ravaged by climate change. This book explains what is happening, why it is happening and what we can all do about it. Children are our future and this book is about their future. As a scientist who has studied the climate from pole to pole, and as a parent with two young daughters, I believe there is no more important issue to inform and educate young people about."

Co-author and environmentalist Tony Juniper added: “It is vital we take action now to avoid the worst consequences of global heating and part of our plan must include empowering young people. This is not about passing the problem to them but helping to ensure they are armed with the facts and thus in a stronger position to urge that changes are made to protect their future. There has been no more effective or committed champion of this cause than the former Prince of Wales and I am sure this book and his words will help to keep things moving in the right direction.” 

Libby Walden, commissioning editor, Ladybird, said: “Ladybird has a long history of making non-fiction accessible for children with our mini hardback series. When the team were thinking about new titles and what topics children might be interested in, climate change and the importance of protecting our world was something we really wanted to explore. We are incredibly proud to be publishing A Ladybird Book: Climate Change and hope that it informs, engages and empowers young people.”