The Tide Is Rising, So Are We!: A Climate Movement Anthem

A Green Earth Book Award Shortlist Selection

The Tide Is Rising, So Are We! is an inspiring picture book in verse that invites readers into the sweeping story of the climate justice movement and offers a framework for hope and action. Written by climate activist Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman, this book speaks to readers' spiritual and emotional needs. How do we grieve, organize, and express our love for the world all at once? How do we find our own place in the climate movement at this late hour?

With climate anxiety at an all-time high, this book does not put the solution to the environmental crisis on the child-reader's shoulders. Instead, it tells the story of an already-vibrant movement the child can join in their own way. Readers will discover a sense of interconnection--with the natural world and the millions of people around the globe fighting for a livable planet. Friedman's uplifting text and Kiki Kita's lush illustrations will propel readers to move into action from a place of joy.

This book is an indispensable companion for new and seasoned activists of all ages, and for anyone concerned about the climate crisis. It is based on the song "The Tide Is Rising," a popular climate anthem Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman co-wrote with her husband, Yotam Schachter. Simple sheet music is included in the back matter so readers can learn to sing the original song too. "The Tide Is Rising" has been sung at countless protests, marches, religious conferences and congregations, and community gatherings. From Standing Rock to holding cells in police stations and across at least three continents, "Tide" spreads a message of radical empowerment, devotion, and active hope.

SHOSHANA MEIRA FRIEDMAN is a rabbi, coach, activist, writer, and all-around passionate creative who grew up in a musical family. After she and her husband, Yotam Schachter, composed "The Tide Is Rising" in 2015, the anthem spread widely throughout the climate movement and fulfilled Rabbi Shoshana's lifelong dream of empowering social change through song.

Rabbi Shoshana's writing has been published in outlets such as the New York Times, Yes! magazine, and the anthology Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis. A late-diagnosed autistic woman, she lives in a joyful and radically neurodivergent-affirming home in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and son.

Kiki Kita is an illustrator and designer working primarily in editorial, children's books, and portrait illustration. Currently living in Brooklyn, New York, she grew up in Dallas, Texas, and Nagoya, Japan. Kiki is an avid podcast listener, an aspiring baker, and a bookworm. She studied illustration and art history at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been recognized by American Illustration and by the Society of Illustrators West.