Ocean State Libraries

"'We should have known the end was near.' So begins Imbolo Mbue's exquisite and devastating novel How Beautiful We Were. Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, it tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by a large and powerful American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean up and financial reparations to the...

"When an oil spill prevents penguins from doing the things they love to do, Big Boots come and dress them in sweaters until they--and the water--can be cleaned. Includes facts about penguins and why dressing them in sweaters is not always a good idea." --

Describes how an oil spill occurs; the damaging effects of recent spills on the sea, land, and wildlife; and the difficult process of cleaning up after a spill.

Hayes describes his evolution as a scientist, his work in coastal oil spill contingency planning and clean up, and his personal philosophy of one's relationship with nature.

"From a young, gay environmentalist, a searing coming-of-age memoir set against the arid landscape of rural North Dakota, where homosexuality "seems akin to a ticking bomb." "I am a child of the American West, a landscape so rich and wide that my culture trembles with terror before its power." So begins Taylor Brorby's Boys and Oil, a haunting, bracingly honest memoir about growing up gay amidst the harshness of rural North Dakota, "a place where...

An oil spill spells trouble for Seaside Sanctuary and the birds and other marine animals that live along the beach, including a young pelican that Elsa and Olivia rescue; all the birds need to be carefully cleaned and given medical attention--but there is another problem: until the spill is cleaned up the birds cannot be released, and the company responsible for the spill does not seem interested in doing its part.

When disaster strikes, people aren't the only ones in danger. On April 20, 2010, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. Millions of gallons of oil began gushing into the water, causing the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. Thousands of pelicans that lived in the Gulf were now in danger of dying because sticky brown oil covered their feathers. Who would come to their rescue? Look inside to meet the everyday heroes who have found ways to save animals...

Examines the causes and some specific occurrences of oil spills and leaks and discusses the environmental issues and efforts to prevent future spills.