Welcome to the home of “Amy’s Balancing Act”, an inspiring tale about clean energy and the power of diversity.
This unique story packs the complexities and emotions of the journey to clean energy into an engaging, entertaining book that can be understood by children, their families and educators.
It provides a positive resolution to the climate wars – being respectful to the past while clear eyed about a brighter future.
Amy has always done things a certain way, but when her old horse gets ready to retire, Amy must find a fresh approach. With the help of some new friends, Amy discovers the power of teamwork and how to balance keeping the mail on time with having a lighter impact on the environment.
Praise for Amy’s Balancing Act
Get your copy
A limited run of signed first edition books are available for purchase here: bjornsturmberg.com/shop.
Or you should be able to find the books in your local or online bookstore of choice – if they’re not already stocking it please direct them to the distributor Woodslane.
While you wait for a hardcopy, here are some sample pages to spark your imagination…
Teaching resources
The good folk at Cool Australia have created three lesson plans based on Amy’s story. These are written for years 3&4, years 5&6, and for parents, and connect Amy’s lessons into the Australian curriculum.
As additional resources you may also wish to check out the following blog posts that dive into the story’s lessons on diversity, team work, and the transition from coal to clean energy: post 1, post 2.
News
For the backstory of the story, you can checkout the kickstarter campaign and blog posts.
You can follow me on instagram at @bjornsturmberg
And here are the latest blog posts about Amy
- Discussion with the ACT Chief Minister
I had the pleasure of discussing all things energy transition with the ACT Chief Minister late last year in my role as ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year. His description below… https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewbarrmla_dr-bjorn-sturmberg-has-been-awarded-the-2024-activity-7274676995525894145-duD4 “Dr Bjorn Sturmberg has been awarded the 2024 ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year Award for his work on clean energy technology. The… Continue reading - Research on effects of Amy’s Balancing Act storyIn collaboration with Graham Walker of the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science I am conducting research on how Amy’s Balancing Act influences readers’ conception of the electricity system and the transition to clean energy. Below are a copy of the worksheets being utilised for this (one for young persons the second for… Continue reading
- Dr Karl’s Shirtloads of Science podcast
My fun discussion about “Energy and Cars” (and Amy’s Balancing Act course) with @doctor_karl has just been released on Dr Karl’s #shirtloadsofscience #podcast. Listen here, https://shirtloadsofscience.libsyn.com/sos-336-car-energy-bs-mix or where ever you get your podcasts. - Woodford Folk Festival 2022-23I had a wonderful time at the Woodford Folk Festival over the summer. I can now confirm that it’s no less fun with a toddler than childless! So much excitement and good vibes all around. I gave an hour long presentation on “Watt’s in store for the energy system?” in the main festival, with special… Continue reading
- A kid’s book is bringing the energy transition into homes, schools and parliaments
The full story of the national launch of Amy’s Balancing Act is now in reneweconomy.com.au https://reneweconomy.com.au/a-kids-book-is-bringing-the-energy-transition-into-homes-schools-and-parliaments/ “The goal from the outset was to create “a great book to teach young children and old politicians about clean energy,” as Craig Reucassel put it. In a heartening sign of how far the conversation (and politics) around the… Continue reading