Harold the Iceberg Melts Down

Harold, who is anxious by nature, is a head of iceberg lettuce. He lives in a refrigerator with food friends like a tomato, a carrot, a head of bok choy, a slice of pizza, and a juice box. One day he learns about climate change and how icebergs are melting. Because his sticker label is half peeled off and on his backside, Harold believes this means that he (an iceberg!) is melting rapidly. His food friends know this is a mistake and try to stop him from panicking by suggesting several methods for calming down. Once they explain that he is a lettuce and will not melt, Harold starts worrying about the real icebergs which are melting. This time, however, Harold calms himself and starts to plan ways to help stop global warming with his friends.

Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is a timely book that, in general, covers anxiety and friendship, but more specifically it deals with climate anxiety in young children who understand the gist of the problem (icebergs are melting because our Earth is getting warmer) and feel unsettled but may not feel they have any control over the situation or that it relates to them in a close way. It’s a clever idea to link Harold the Iceberg Lettuce and his meltdown to the melting icebergs, and his friends helping with Harold’s meltdown to all of them together helping the real icebergs. Harold’s panic and his friends’ gentle suggestions that he take a drink of water or blow bubbles with them show how alarming the facts of climate change can be for children learning of it for the first time. At the same time, the book’s contents also demonstrate some techniques for calming down.

There are two pages at the end of the book, “Harold’s Tips to Combat Climate Change” and “Harold’s Tips for Cooling Down”, which provide some information on climate-conscious living and calming yourself. The illustrations are in a flat, simplified, cartoony style which goes well with the food items depicted and the dynamic, exaggerated actions of the characters. The endpapers, which are full of cute sticker labels for fruit and vegetables (peaches, potatoes, avocados, etc.) or indicators of local, organic, or vegan statuses, are lots of fun. This book would be good for smaller groups of children or for reading with one child so there is time for discussing feelings and ideas together.

Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is a useful book to have, and it does well in terms of pacing, plot, and illustrations. With that said, there are some small things to discuss because I think it could be a better book. For one, where are we? Is Harold in a grocery store, or a home fridge? We can’t tell from the illustrations or text, but it was a good opportunity to ground us in a recognizable space, an opportunity that was missed. There is also a scene where Harold is sitting in an armchair made of bread, a large soda can at his side. It is unclear whether he is drinking from the soda can or if he’s actually watching TV with his friend, the soda can. Both of these are tiny, petty issues, but they break the worldbuilding of the picture book because every other food item has been sentient except for the bread chair and the soda can. And the soda can is especially jarring because the comparable juice box is one of Harold’s close group of friends.

The way the friends have to protect and guide Harold throughout the book is a good way to show how they care for and support Harold, but it has an unintended side effect of making Harold look silly (that his fears are not valid) and undermining his agency (that he can’t help himself). These are disproved towards the end when Harold’s fears for the icebergs are justified and when Harold calms himself. “Harold’s Tips to Combat Climate Change” at the end were rather generic activities, such as recycling and conserving water and electricity. It would have been nice if the tips had suggested more active and specific things like planning the next family vacation as a staycation so as to reduce air travel, or buying local produce (which also links back to the book!) or growing your own food. Again, these are tiny issues in a good book.