If you only own one book in your home library about renewable resources and electricity, make it Energy for Keeps. This concise reference book is written in a language that students, adults, and professionals will all understand.

Within the illustrated pages, you’ll find information on all renewable resources, the science of electricity generation, energy history, energy-related environmental considerations, energy policy, and energy management and efficiency. 

The paperback book is just under 200 pages in length and has five chapters. Chapter one, A Brief History of Energy, shows us our use of energy has changed over time. Chapter two, Energy and Electricity, explains how we produce and deliver most of our electricity today. Chapter three, Energy Sources For Electricity Generation, explains how and where we get our different sources to produce energy. Chapter four, Energy, Health, and the Environment, shows us how our choices about energy affect our health and the environment around us. And chapter five, Energy Management Strategies and Energy Policy, demonstrates how energy decisions made today will affect both our lives, and those that will come after us.

Each of the chapters begins with a vocabulary list in the margin of the page, all of which are defined in the glossary in the appendix. The chapter’s sections end with a section called Considerations. These are basically the pros and cons of the concept covered in that section. I appreciate that the authors don’t just give the good points, but are also honest in any drawbacks of the technology.

Also in the appendix is an energy timeline, starting in 4 million B.C. (wait, what?) where they believe the first known use of tools to be in East Africa. The timeline ends with 2010 with an estimated 25 percent of the world’s population not having access to electricity.

Hands down, my favorite part of the book is the illustrations. They remind me of the David Macaulay books in their design. They are very informational, yet so simple that a child can understand. Literally. My six-year-old can look at many of the graphics and explain to me what it’s saying. Granted, I may have to explain what some of the words are, but he can tell me what the graphics are illustrating and demonstrating.

While the text was originally aimed at furthering energy literacy in the general public, it also works well as a teaching tool. There are student activities and other supplementary information that can be downloaded for free on the website. Altogether, you could feasibly use this as a semester of science for middle grades, or add in some supplementary reading and essay writing and you’ve got yourself a high school course.

At the same time, Energy for Keeps is such a fun book that it could be left out on a coffee table to be flipped through, or if you’re like me and spend a lot of time waiting in the truck, this would be a good read to keep in there to help pass the time. Engaging, entertaining, and good practical information. Energy for Keeps is a great read for all ages.

-Product review by Jeniffer Do Nascimento, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, May, 2017