Information can sometimes come from unlikely sources and I had that experience this past weekend. My daughters love reading the American Girl Doll books and we've learned a lot from them - all about the Great Depression, living in the US during WWII, Title IX etc. So when my younger daughter asked to read about Kira - an American girl who visits Australia for the summer - I agreed despite not knowing much about the plot. We listened to the second book of the series in the car, while traveling to and from some day trips (Montshire Museum, hiking up Mt. Cardigan, and some other ideas here), and I was (pleasantly) surprised when the story turned to climate change. The book discusses the uptick of fires in Australia, together with the effect it has on people's homes and animals' habitats. It also talks about ways we can help improve the situation, such as protesting and imploring our government officials to do more, even if you're a child. The book led to a family discussion about climate change in a productive way that wasn't too scary for younger minds. (Maybe because the story is set in another country?) At the very least, if you're looking for a book to start the global warming conversation, while listening to a fairly engaging (children's) story, this one might be it.
*By the way, no need to pay for the audio book. You can often find many free audio books through your library via an app such as Hoopla.