Follow the production of fuel from the first formation of oil to the refining process and beyond in I Fuel: How Energy Powers Our Busy World by Kelly Rice Schmitt and illustrated by Jam Dong. This fun and fact-filled picture book shares the story of where fuel comes from, how we use it, and how renewable sources are providing cleaner forms of energy.
Today author Kelly Rice Schmitt joins us to share some of her creative decisions while writing I Fuel and her hopes for young readers. Read on to find a free activity guide to use in the classroom and beyond!
We begin I Fuel way back in the time of dinosaurs. How did you choose this starting point?
I loved the idea of including dinosaurs in the timeline of oil formation, because dinosaurs are something that kids love and often know a lot about already. Putting the formation in the context of real dinosaurs that lived was a fun way to introduce kids to a new topic in a familiar space. I learned a lot about which dinosaurs live together during the same time period and in the same place. Because dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and prehistoric winged reptiles spanned the whole earth over millions of years, I wanted to be sure we were intentional in the art to include dinosaurs that really could have lived together in the same area. According to my research, all the prehistoric creatures in this book lived during the late Cretaceous period in the western United States during the time of the Great Interior Seaway. Jam did such an amazing job illustrating all these fascinating real creatures! My children love plesiosaurs… so I was happy to see one included! Be sure to check out the free Teaching and Activity Guide for more about the dinosaurs and prehistoric marine life in I Fuel.
I Fuel also touches on geology. What do rocks have to do with energy?
Kids love rocks, and rocks are actually vital to the formation of fossil fuels. In fact, petroleum, another word for crude oil, actually means “rock oil”. Contrary to popular belief, oil is not in large singular caverns under the ground or in the ocean. Instead, it is trapped in tiny pores inside rocks. When I was writing I Fuel, I knew I wanted to zoom in on the rock layers of oil formation to help young readers connect something familiar and accessible to this new topic.
Why should kids today care about how we get our energy?
I believe that we must understand how something currently works in order to innovate and change it in the future. As much as we’d love to move to an all-renewable energy world, the truth is that we are still very dependent on oil products. If kids today can learn what we do today—both the benefits and challenges of fossil fuel use— as well as the hope and in-progress research for alternative ways to fuel—renewables—I hope they will have the tools to come up with new ways to conserve energy and use more renewable and clean energy options in the future. Our busy world must keep running, but we also need to make sure our planet stays healthy and beautiful for generations to come.
Do you have a personal connection to this industry?
I fell into the Energy Industry by chance and have loved being able to supply people with energy to fuel their lives and also to understand such an important part of the global economy. I began my career in an energy trading training program, where I learned the fundamentals of supplying and trading energy products around the world. I have visited refineries, gas production plants, rail shipping yards, and ports. I eventually traded natural gas liquids, including propane, which is mainly used in the US for home heating and cooking in rural areas. Kids may also recognize it being used for mobile kitchens like food trucks and in tanks for propane grills. Once I realized how much humans currently depend on fossil fuels yet how little engaging information there is on this topic for kids, I knew was the person that had to write this book.
How can educators use I Fuel in the classroom?
I Fuel can be a useful tool for understanding energy, human impact on the natural world, climate change, geology, and the changing earth over time. Part of my inspiration in writing this book was the fact that oil is so integrated into our lives, yet many of us (even grown-ups!) don’t understand it. My hope is that by showing the good, bad, and the ugly of oil as well as the possibilities and limitations of alternative energies, we can foster in kids a scientific understanding of a factor in the climate change picture. If they understand where we are now and how we got here, I have faith they can help be future change makers.
What do you hope readers will discover in your book?
I hope readers will better understand what makes things go and how their daily activities impact fossil fuel consumption and ultimately, that they will be inspired to think of new ways to power our busy world that are better for the earth.
Free Educator Resources
Download this extensive teaching guide to engage young readers in fun activities and encourage critical thinking skills. It can also be found here on the Lerner website.
Praise for I Fuel
“Schmitt uses simple language to describe, step by step, how fossil fuels are formed, extracted, refined, and put to use in the production of both energy and various chemical and plastic goods.”—Booklist
“The illustrations are colorful and accurately identify the journey of fuel overtime for young readers. Vehicle lovers will enjoy this behind the scenes look at the fuel that powers their favorite machines! Reviewer Rating: 5″—Children’s Literature
Connect with the Author
Kelly Rice Schmitt is an author of STEAM children’s literature. She holds a B.B.A in Finance and Chinese from the University of Notre Dame and is an advocate for girls in STEM, business, and other fields with gender gaps. She can be found in North Carolina helping other traders grow their businesses, writing for children, and exploring, singing, and creating with her husband and young children.
Find more amazing authors and illustrators on the Lerner blog!