Janet Wilson - Severn and the Day She Silenced the World

Books inspired by real stories of young people who have taken action to make their world a better place.

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Both informative and politically rousing.

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing inPublication

Wilson, Janet, 1952-, author
Severn and the day she silenced theworld / by Janet Wilson.
(The kids power series)
For ages 9-13.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-927583-23-4 (pbk.). ISBN 978-1-927583-24-1 (epub)

1. Suzuki, SevernJuvenile literature. 2. Childenvironmentalists
CanadaBiographyJuvenile literature. 3. United NationsConference
on Environment and Development (1992 : Rio de Janeiro,Brazil)
Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Kids power series

TD171.7.W542014 j363.70525092 C2014-900018-9
C2014-900019-7

Copyright 2014 by Janet Wilson

Edited by Kelly Jones
Designed by Melissa Kaita
Icons iStockphoto

Second Story Pressgratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the CanadaCouncil for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financialsupport of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.

Published by
Second Story Press
20 MaudStreet, Suite 401
Toronto, ON M5V 2M5
www.secondstorypress.ca

Contents

In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid of telling the world how I feel.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki, June 12, 1992,
UN Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This book is dedicated to environmental activists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis. Thank you for your tireless and dogged devotion to raising awareness of the serious environmental problems facing humanity and our beautiful planet.

And to our dear friends Charles Simon, Anna Simon, John Cripton, and Linda Sword, for their valiant efforts toward our own community grassroots initiative, Eden Mills Going Carbon Neutral.

To make a difference, you have to follow your heart.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki

The book you are about to read is based on a true story. All the characters are real, but parts of my telling of the tale are fiction. Often the people I interviewed could not clearly remember what was said or the order of events that took place more than twenty years ago, so I have woven into their memories information from videos, Environmental Childrens Organization newsletters, books, articles, and a very special diary. I imagined most of the dialogue, but the excerpts from speeches appear as they were written. They are abbreviated, but Severns speech to the United Nations Earth Summit is included in full. I appreciate everyones contribution to this process, and their help and trust in me to recreate this inspiring story of young people telling the world how they feel about the most important issues of justice toward people, the planet, and their future.

Severn cuddles a woolly monkey from the Brazilian rainforest.

Im involved in environmental issues because I love Nature and consider it part of me and me part of it.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki

March 1989

I feel like Im at the edge of the world. Severn took a deep breath of salt air. She scanned the whole covethe cliffs that dropped steeply into the Pacific Ocean and the forest-covered islets fading into the horizon from green to blue to mauve. A pair of eagles soared and swooped, scooping up fish discarded by fishing boats. Severn hugged her knees and squinted, searching the channel for porpoises. This was her favorite place on Earth.

Im glad the tide is out, she thought, eyeing the beach, eager to discover the treasures left behind by the ocean waves. Cmon, Sarika, she called, impatiently. When her sister and their two friends ran from the cabin, Severn followed them down the trail. Oe (pronounced Oh-eh) and Tania walked boldly into the icy cold waves lapping at the edge of the beach. Severn couldnt believe it. They came from a tropical climate, after all.

The girls peered into a shallow tide pool. Severn pointed out sand dollars, barnacles, and tiny shore crabs darting in and out of seaweed. She popped a piece of bright green sea lettuce into her mouth. Want some?

Oe and Tania pulled No! faces.

This is a sea urchin, said Sarika, tickling the creatures spiky tentacles. Sarika was only five years old, but she was already an expert at identifying the inhabitants of the tide pools.

Hey, I see starfish, Severn said, pointing to orange and purple sea stars flopped on their backs like lazy children, all arms and legs.

Me, too! Sarika cried.

Good job, Little-Me-Too, said her father. He had walked from the cabin with Oe and Tanias parents.

Severn wanted to explain the most interesting fact about starfishif you cut off an arm, another grows backbut she didnt know how to say that in the Kayapo language, and Oe and Tania only knew a few English words.