The book follows characters Sofia and her younger brother Gabriel from their home in Portugal on a train journey across Europe. On this trip Sofia seeks to gather information and ideas for a game that she is developing about climate change. Her brother is along for the ride to have fun and explore. They come across different landscapes, countries, and people on their trip, and learn how communities across Europe are coming together to fight climate change. Their first-hand experiences reinforce their understanding that climate change is complex and real, but that individuals, communities and cities can make a big difference in mitigating and adapting to it. In the end Sofia knows how her game must work, not as a competition but as a cooperative game, because climate change is a challenge for each and every one of us, and only together are we able to tackle it.

An overview of Sofia and Gabriel’s travels across Europe from the Climate Change Challenge; © Photo: Verlagshaus Jacoby Stuart, Berlin

On their trip the siblings learn about energy efficiency in Paris; forest fires in Greece and Portugal; draughts and water scarcity in central Europe; how students are learning about energy consumption in Romanian schools; the integration of renewable energies in Germany and Portugal and much more.

Climate change is a common challenge; not only in Sofia’s board game; Grafik: © Verlagshaus Jacoby & Stuart, Berlin

BEACON team members Kristen Brand, Moritz Schäfer, Gil Penha-Lopes and Sarah Gül made this comic book a reality through the BEACON project. The story of Sofia and Gabriel was created and brought to life by author Bruno Pinto, Illustrator Quico Nogueira and colorist Nuno Duarte.

The German version of the book is available for purchase wherever books are sold in Germany. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher Verlagshaus Jacoby & Stuart here. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy of the English book, please contact beacon_helpdesk∂guidehouse.com.

The BEACON team plans to publish the book in the other languages of the BEACON project (Bulgarian, Czech, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, and Romanian) by summer 2021, so stay tuned for more information about how to access the book in these languages.

Did you enjoy reading the book? There are ways you can share the book and help us spread the message of European climate action. Are you…

• an educator? Consider integrating the book into your lessons on climate change, placing a copy of the book in your school’s library, or assigning the book as required reading.
• a municipal representative? Consider providing your local library with a copy of the book, introducing it to local educators, or using it to supplement your efforts to raise awareness about climate change.
• a citizen concerned about climate change? Share the book with those in your community or family, post about what you’ve read on social media, explore the EUKI website to find out more about climate action projects in your country, and much more!
• a publisher in another European country? If you’re interested in bringing the comic to the book trade in your country and are not one of the BEACON countries listed above, please contact Verlagshaus Jacoby & Stuart at verlag∂jacobystuart.de. The rights to translate and publish the book in other countries are available at no cost.