I dislike books that you cannot really rate because they are books that are emotionally linked to your own feelings, thoughts and biases. These books are personal to you and all I can say is how I feel about it.
Oil by Jonah Winter is a personal book. If you are an environmentalist, you will be all over this book. You will appreciate the theme of showing the dangers of oil consumption and the impact it has on wildlife. There is no question the author is an alternate fuel supporter. However, if you are someone that drives a big-ol’ gas guzzler, well, you are probably going to think this is a lot of hooey; just the price of business. It is a story about wildlife and how the oil company has come in running pipes, lines and other things to disrupt nature. The language leaves no question that Winter feels Oil has come in and destroyed pristine Native Lands, killed countless animals, and overall does not do much to help (literally) clean up the messes it makes.
One reason I am giving this a 4 is that I am not a huge fan of the illustrations by Jeanette Winter. I think I would have wanted a more “solid realism” to them and not the almost abstractness of them. Not to say they do not work for the book, or are in anyway “not good,” it is just my feeling about them. As I said above, everything about this book is personal. I cannot tell you to like or dislike it. I am not sure how to recommend this book. All I can say is, find a copy and judge for yourself.