World Without Fish

The past few weeks, I have been reviewing books that help promote environmental awareness for middle school students. World Without Fish, by Mark Kurlansky, is another excellent addition to a classroom library. The book describes the dangers facing Earth's fish populations. As more fish species face extinction in the next fifty years, the book paints a dire picture of our future. Kurlansky skillfully weaves cautionary tales about humanity's history of overfishing, while touching on the impact of pollution and global warming. He offers a variety of concrete solutions to the situation.

World Without Fish covers a lot of ground, but the content is presented in an easy to understand way for middle school students. In addition to the informative texts, comics illustrated by Frank Stockton are embedded between each chapter. The comics narrate what would happen if our current course of action is not averted and fish disappear. The visuals and expository text combine to effectively teach about our effect on marine life and how we can work to protect the world's oceans.