New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
‘Susie Speaks Up’
Leonardo DiCaprio supports Conn. Girl Scouts’ climate change book
Two 14-year-olds from Fairfield Ludlowe High School are looking to become published authors after a book they wrote for a Girl Scout project was spotlighted by a Hollywood star.
“It was very surreal. We told some friends and family and they were very excited for us. It was really special,” Ayla Eyikan said.
Ayla wrote and illustrated “Susie Speaks Up” with Teagan Weber. The two have been part of a troop together since the first grade. Teagan’s mom, Carmen Weber, is their troop leader.
In November, actor and climate activist Leonardo DiCaprio tweeted a link to a CT Insider story mentioning the book.
“Two ninth graders in
Fairfield, CT (sic) have written and illustrated a children’s book about climate change, believing that if young people knew the impact their actions may have on the planet, they’d adopt more Earthfriendly habits,” the actor tweeted. “The book covers important topics such as deforestation, pollution, and rising sea levels.”
DiCaprio is as known for films like “Titanic” and “Inception” as he is for his work bringing awareness to climate change and global warming. The actor was an early advocate for hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and still drives a host of hybrid and electric vehicles. It’s also not his first de facto endorsement of the Girl Scouts of America. DiCaprio became the subject of a Long Island Girl Scout troop’s cookie campaign after he bought a box during a bit at the 2016 Oscars.
With a boost from the “Don’t Look Up” star’s tweet, the scouts are inspired to take their book further.
“We wanted our book to have an impact and we wanted it to reach a variety of audiences, but at the same time we weren’t really sure if it would make it much further than our own community or our own town,” Tegan said. “This shows that just by printing it we’ve reached a lot of people. I can only imagine what publishing would do. It’s motivation to try and get it published and reach even more people.”
“Susie Speaks Up” was written when the girls, now Girl Scout seniors, were cadettes as part of their Silver Award project. According to the Girl Scouts of America website, the project requires cadettes to identify an issue and create a project that would have a lasting, positive impact on their community.
The two said they immediately thought of climate change. They said climate change was something they knew of but didn’t entirely understand until they were teens who had to live with the possibility of a “big scary future” if global warming and climate change are not addressed.
“We thought we could help kids at least have a base of knowledge for when they eventually learn more about it later on in school,” Ayla said. Teagan added:
“We wanted to show
kids that even though they’re young, they can still have an impact on how they live and what they do can still affect us. The little things really do matter. We wanted to show them that through the ideas in this book.”
The book follows Susie, its titular character, as she travels the world. Each journey teaches her something about the world around her. The bulk of pages follow Susie’s journey and thought process:
“As Susie sat on the airplane she couldn’t’ believe the world passing by,” one
page reads. “She was, however, a little worried about how the big engines on the airplane would pollute the air.”
The bottoms of pages feature facts that correspond to her journey, like how an increase in air travel has impacted greenhouse gas emissions. On a trip to mountains, she learns the mountains used to be covered in ice and wonders how it “could get so warm in a place that used to be so cold.” That’s followed by a climate fact about lowering levels of ice in the arctic.