ABSTRACT
This chapter explores narratives of drought and climate crisis, focusing on the portrayal of water as a contested resource in children’s literature and media. Using the short film Abuela Grillo as a central case study, the chapter examines how water scarcity and environmental degradation are depicted in a conflict between Indigenous knowledge and neoliberal exploitation. The analysis expands to broader discussions of climate crisis narratives in children’s culture, critiquing how many texts avoid addressing systemic injustices and instead focus on individualised, hope-driven solutions. By integrating affective childist criticism and insights from environmental humanities, the chapter argues for a shift towards narratives that foreground the structural dimensions of the ecological crisis and its disproportionate impact on marginalised communities.
