(2) K-3 Green Power series. Drummond (Solar Story, rev. 5/20; Pedal Power, rev. 1/17) continues to spotlight communities that adopt environmentally sustainable projects. This time, he takes readers to Kamikatsu, Japan, a small mountain town with big ambitions. The narrative centers on two children visiting their spunky, dedicated, proverb-sharing grandmother, a lifelong resident of Kamikatsu who explains the town's environmental history. Years earlier there had been no waste collection service, so residents dumped and burned their refuse, creating not only eyesores and noxious smells but also poisonous dioxins in the air, soil, and water. In 2003, citizens of Kamikatsu declared that by 2020 they would produce zero waste. Impossible? Almost, but today, through "Chiritsumo!" (as Grandma says, or "Perseverance is power!"), more than eighty percent of the town's waste is recycled. While ­Drummond depicts some citizens grousing about the ­proclamation, more often his breezy, humorous ­watercolors show them eagerly ­engaging in "­Mottainai!" ("Waste not, want not," or reduce, reuse, recycle.) Residents not only compost but also painstakingly divide their waste into dozens of different containers. The rewards are great: new, younger inhabitants; a tourist-attracting hotel constructed entirely of recycled materials; and the creation of a Zero Waste Academy where individuals come from all over the world to study the project. Best of all, the book shares the local sense of "Kachou fuugetsu!" ("Experience the beauty of nature. Learn about yourself!") This inspiring account concludes with an author's note and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) K-3 Expanding his series of picture books on environmentally friendly community projects (see Green City, rev. 1/16; and Pedal Power, rev. 1/17), Drummond takes readers to Morocco, the location of the world's largest solar power plant. He introduces them to a classroom (with maps of Africa pinpointing Morocco on the walls), where our narrator, Jasmine, describes her life and home. In preparation for a field trip, the teacher asks students to define both solar power and sustainability. They know the first, but their definitions vary from "being strong and independent" to "peace" for the second. The children contemplate their responses as they visit the Noor Solar Plant; when they return, they brainstorm the effects of this major national project, bringing the prior discussion full circle. Full-page art and double-page spreads convey a sense of Jasmine's school and community, while spot art and occasional vertical and horizontal panels pace the flow of textual information. Three sidebars provide additional information on the geography and culture of Morocco, the design of the Noor Plant, and sustainability. Appended with an author's note, photographs of the area, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(2) K-3 Drummond (Energy Island; Green City) takes young readers to Amsterdam, a city that turned automobile- and carbon monoxide–clogged streets into bicycle- and family-friendly boulevards. His straightforward text and near-impressionistic illustrations show citizens, led by activist Maartje Rutten, who took to the streets (on bicycles) in the 1970s to protest constructing more roads for automobiles. As a united community, they effected worldwide change. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(1) K-3 On May 4, 2007, a tornado leveled Greensburg, Kansas. The citizens who stayed decided to rebuild a community as environmentally sound as possible. Drummond creates a first-person narrator from a composite of experiences "meant to reflect [those] of many town residents." Concise informational sidebars explain the processes. Watercolor illustrations--a vibrant blend of vignettes, full-page art, and double-page spreads--reflect the town's can-do attitude.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(3) K-3 On Samsø, an island "in the middle of Denmark...in the middle of the sea," the inhabitants decided to "harness the wind" and become as energy-independent as possible. Drummond's vignette illustrations perfectly capture the community spirit as the Danes realize their dream. Helpful sidebar information expands the science introduced in the descriptive first-person narrative.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) K-3 Grandpa takes Eliza and her siblings for a spin in his Model T. The world has changed since Henry Ford, and the children contemplate such automobile-related issues as air pollution and the cost of oil. Airy watercolor and ink illustrations, punctuated with speech bubbles and nicely divided by short bits of text, make this an easy-to-read presentation of a timely subject.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(2) K-3 In 1903, seven would-be flyers meet at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina: Orville and Wilbur Wright and five local children. The Wrights experience flight; the children foretell the age of aviation, imagining planes carrying passengers, bombs, and visitors to the moon. Drummond's illustrations create a fitting visual stage for replaying the Wright brothers' first flight and suggesting the importance of the event.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003

(4) K-3 Drummond has imagined a humorous incident to explain why signals were crossed at the Statue of Liberty's unveiling in 1886. An introductory note explains what's fictional in this story of a young boy who hitches a ride with sculptor Bartholdi on that big day. Loosely drawn cartoons convey the confusion and crowds, and the well-written text is amusing despite the preachy conclusion.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 In singsong verse, Drummond pays tribute to Casey Jones and his final trip, when the courageous conductor sacrificed his life to save the lives of his passengers. Occasionally the cadence derails, but overall the account reverberates with the clickety-clack sound of a train rushing through the night. The accompanying watercolors both extend the action and pace the story through multiple frames that accelerate it.

Reviewer: Betty Carter