{"id":9069030047981,"title":"Onward","handle":"onward","description":"\u003ch6\u003eComing February 24, 2026. Pre-order today!\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eOnward\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdited by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/nora-shalaway-carpenter\"\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAll-star authors take on the climate crisis with courage and hope.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWilliam and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a star-studded cast of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Back matter includes concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, with resources specific to every story. There’s even a section specifically for the overwhelmed. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eAccess climate action resources \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/onward-resources\"\u003ehere!\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/footeprint\"\u003eFooteprint\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n[TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-spread.jpg?v=1754413326\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-cover-hires.tiff.zip?v=1754413350\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditor\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter, editor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter is the contributing editor of the critically acclaimed YA short story anthology \u003ci\u003eRural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America\u003c\/i\u003e. Her debut YA novel \u003ci\u003eThe Edge of Anything\u003c\/i\u003e was named a Bank Street Best Book, a \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book, and A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/nora-shalaway-carpenter\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Nora.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn this wide-ranging collection of poems, short stories, and an essay, climate change is explored in ways that are meant to inspire hope rather than despair, encouraging readers toward activism and a resistance against the rapid destruction and consumption of Earth’s resources. The characters are sharp and bold across multiple genres in this anthology of sixteen works, and each is able to see what needs to be done even if some are still coming to understand how they can be part of a solution. In “The Care and Feeding of Mother” by Erin Entrada Kelly, characters painstakingly grow a small plant from real seeds and real soil—amid a world in which nature is made up of trademarked replications of what once was, this becomes an act of hope and resistance. Jeff Zentner’s “Tellico Lake” is a verse story that follows a young boy and the real-life fight to keep a dam from being built in the Tennessee Valley in the 1970s when the presence of small, endangered fish grants the area a (temporary) stay of demolition. A brief foreword explores how the younger generation, perched on the edge of an environmental cliff, has responded to a tenuous future, with reactions ranging from ferocious determination to resigned apathy. The stories nudge toward the former, even while acknowledging that it can be hard to hold optimism while the world burns. There is a rich diversity of writing styles, voices, and perspectives that keeps the collection fresh and each entry distinct, though all adhere to the central theme. Brief author notes and a list of resources will be part of the final version. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-653-3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 12 and up\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 256\u003cbr\u003e6 x 9\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication date: February 24, 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2025-10-07T14:15:52-04:00","created_at":"2025-08-05T11:44:24-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Nonfiction","Browse by Format_Novel","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Science \u0026 Nature"],"price":1999,"price_min":1999,"price_max":1999,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":48504832491757,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"46533","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":{"id":44407937007853,"product_id":9069030047981,"position":1,"created_at":"2025-07-23T15:55:28-04:00","updated_at":"2025-07-23T15:55:30-04:00","alt":null,"width":600,"height":900,"src":"\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530","variant_ids":[48504832491757]},"available":true,"name":"Onward - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":1999,"weight":567,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_quantity":10,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"9781623546533","featured_media":{"alt":null,"id":36245354709229,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.667,"height":900,"width":600,"src":"\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530"}},"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530"],"featured_image":"\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":36245354709229,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.667,"height":900,"width":600,"src":"\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530"},"aspect_ratio":0.667,"height":900,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/steamworksbooks.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003ch6\u003eComing February 24, 2026. Pre-order today!\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eOnward\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdited by: \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/nora-shalaway-carpenter\"\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAll-star authors take on the climate crisis with courage and hope.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWilliam and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a star-studded cast of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Back matter includes concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, with resources specific to every story. There’s even a section specifically for the overwhelmed. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eAccess climate action resources \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/onward-resources\"\u003ehere!\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/footeprint\"\u003eFooteprint\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n[TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-spread.jpg?v=1754413326\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e \u003cscript type=\"text\/javascript\" async=\"\" defer data-pin-shape=\"round\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"medium-cover\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-cover.jpg?v=1753300530\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/onward-cover-hires.tiff.zip?v=1754413350\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditor\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter, editor\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNora Shalaway Carpenter is the contributing editor of the critically acclaimed YA short story anthology \u003ci\u003eRural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America\u003c\/i\u003e. Her debut YA novel \u003ci\u003eThe Edge of Anything\u003c\/i\u003e was named a Bank Street Best Book, a \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book, and A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/nora-shalaway-carpenter\"\u003eRead more \u003c\/a\u003eabout Nora.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing soon!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn this wide-ranging collection of poems, short stories, and an essay, climate change is explored in ways that are meant to inspire hope rather than despair, encouraging readers toward activism and a resistance against the rapid destruction and consumption of Earth’s resources. The characters are sharp and bold across multiple genres in this anthology of sixteen works, and each is able to see what needs to be done even if some are still coming to understand how they can be part of a solution. In “The Care and Feeding of Mother” by Erin Entrada Kelly, characters painstakingly grow a small plant from real seeds and real soil—amid a world in which nature is made up of trademarked replications of what once was, this becomes an act of hope and resistance. Jeff Zentner’s “Tellico Lake” is a verse story that follows a young boy and the real-life fight to keep a dam from being built in the Tennessee Valley in the 1970s when the presence of small, endangered fish grants the area a (temporary) stay of demolition. A brief foreword explores how the younger generation, perched on the edge of an environmental cliff, has responded to a tenuous future, with reactions ranging from ferocious determination to resigned apathy. The stories nudge toward the former, even while acknowledging that it can be hard to hold optimism while the world burns. There is a rich diversity of writing styles, voices, and perspectives that keeps the collection fresh and each entry distinct, though all adhere to the central theme. Brief author notes and a list of resources will be part of the final version. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-62354-653-3\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 12 and up\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 256\u003cbr\u003e6 x 9\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication date: February 24, 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}
Coming February 24, 2026. Pre-order today!

Onward

16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope

Edited by: Nora Shalaway Carpenter

All-star authors take on the climate crisis with courage and hope.

  • Shayta cares for a tiny green plant in a futuristic world where Earth has become a barren, over-farmed landscape fraught with dirt storms.
  • Hana and her father travel by catamaran to the farthest place from land in the entire world—only to discover a giant, floating carcass of trash and a few other surprises.
  • William and his family want to protect an endangered fish from a potential dam on a river that’s flowed through their land for generations.

 This inspiring collection of sixteen short stories is packed with fascinating characters and settings that illuminate current and possible changes to our planet and how humanity responds.

 Included here is prose, verse, and personal essays from a star-studded cast of authors diverse in ethnic background, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Back matter includes concrete and practical steps to help curtail the global climate crisis, with resources specific to every story. There’s even a section specifically for the overwhelmed. 

Access climate action resources here!
Maximum quantity available reached.

Nora Shalaway Carpenter, editor

Nora Shalaway Carpenter is the contributing editor of the critically acclaimed YA short story anthology Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America. Her debut YA novel The Edge of Anything was named a Bank Street Best Book, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year.

Read more about Nora.

  • Coming soon!

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

In this wide-ranging collection of poems, short stories, and an essay, climate change is explored in ways that are meant to inspire hope rather than despair, encouraging readers toward activism and a resistance against the rapid destruction and consumption of Earth’s resources. The characters are sharp and bold across multiple genres in this anthology of sixteen works, and each is able to see what needs to be done even if some are still coming to understand how they can be part of a solution. In “The Care and Feeding of Mother” by Erin Entrada Kelly, characters painstakingly grow a small plant from real seeds and real soil—amid a world in which nature is made up of trademarked replications of what once was, this becomes an act of hope and resistance. Jeff Zentner’s “Tellico Lake” is a verse story that follows a young boy and the real-life fight to keep a dam from being built in the Tennessee Valley in the 1970s when the presence of small, endangered fish grants the area a (temporary) stay of demolition. A brief foreword explores how the younger generation, perched on the edge of an environmental cliff, has responded to a tenuous future, with reactions ranging from ferocious determination to resigned apathy. The stories nudge toward the former, even while acknowledging that it can be hard to hold optimism while the world burns. There is a rich diversity of writing styles, voices, and perspectives that keeps the collection fresh and each entry distinct, though all adhere to the central theme. Brief author notes and a list of resources will be part of the final version.

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-653-3

Ages: 12 and up
Page count: 256
6 x 9

Publication date: February 24, 2026