Review by Booklist Review
Imported from Japan, this nonfiction title pairs a brief biography of former Uruguayan president José Mujica with the full text of a 2012 speech he gave at the Rio+20 Summit held to address the world's environmental issues. The speech will still resonate with readers who care about climate change, as well as those looking to dissect what makes an inspiring address. Mujica was known as the world's poorest president because he spurned the life of a pampered politician. During his tenure, he lived in his own home, did farm chores, and drove an old car. He made an impact at the summit through heartfelt sincerity about the poor outcome of humankind's attitude toward wealth and competition. "Economic growth and progress must add to human happiness, not take away from it." Nakagawa's illustrations are crowded with people experiencing materialism--a person buried in old lightbulbs, a garbage dump--contrasting Mujica's words about a more bucolic world where people smile under blue skies. A niche buy supplementing other books about the climate crisis.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In 2012, José Mujica, then the leader of Uruguay, gave a speech on consumer culture that echoed around the world. Mujica, "the world's poorest president," lived his values, donating most of his salary and declining official residences and drivers. When he stepped to the podium at the Rio+20 Summit, he spoke from the heart: "It is time for us to rethink what we seek in life." Introductory text by Kusaba lightly frames Mujica's declamatory speech, which nods to Epicurus and Seneca while discussing what makes a satisfying life. Nakagawa's blocky digital illustrations adroitly illustrate the talk's themes--in one, a careworn man struggles to haul an outsize pile of possessions, including a house and car. If the volume offers little beyond Mujica's speech, the message--that "progress must add to human happiness, not take away from it"--is as timely as ever. Ages 4--8. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up--This timely translation of a 2014 title originally published in Japan is based on a 2012 speech made by Uruguay's 40th president, José Mujica, delivered at the United Nations' Rio+20 Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro. Mujica, who was president from 2010 to 2015, was a simple, unassuming, and much-beloved leader. Rather than live in the presidential palace and get chauffeured around, he chose to remain on his farm with his wife and drive his Volkswagen bug, donating close to 90 percent of his salary to the poor and underprivileged. His speech on "Sustainable Development and Human Happiness" captured his audience's attention and admiration. He questioned whether the world had sufficient resources for its seven to eight billion inhabitants to live like Western societies. Bold, graphic, digitally created illustrations complement the text from the onset of the speech, where the audience appears bored, to the standing ovation at the end. A graphic spread precedes the start of the narrative, in which Mujica's wife reminds him to feed the chickens on the way to the Summit. Another spread depicts countless drivers in India stuck in a gridlock with noxious fumes filling the sky. VERDICT A thought-provoking, important message for these trying times.--Barbara Auerbach, Cairo P.L., NY
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A picture book imported from Japan and based on a speech given by José Mujica, president of Uruguay, at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In June 2012, the United Nations brought governments, international institutions, and major groups together to agree on a range of measures that would bring about sustainable and fair use of resources. When it came time for the president of Uruguay to speak, he presented the problem of sustainability and climate change differently from previous speakers. Mujica posited that the real problem is not climate change but "how we have come to live our lives" in a vicious cycle "where we sell things to make money, which we use to buy whatever we want, and then buy some more." He challenged listeners to consider whether "we were born…to pursue economic growth and progress [or rather] to live in such a way as to find happiness on this planet." Mujica's thought-provoking argument then is just as valid today. The illustrations accompanying the text play with design and perspective, capturing Mujica's words in ways that give them great immediacy and vividness. This book is a translation from the original 2014 Japanese publication. An ideal vehicle to engage children in a discussion on the meanings of poverty, having enough, and social justice. (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
