Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1 by Hayao Miyazaki

Long ago, war destroyed the planet's ecosystems, resulting in the toxic Sea of Corruption that threatens everything that's left. The Vally of Wind is at the edge of the sea, home to 500 humans including Nausicaä, a young princess who fights to create tolerance, understanding, and patience among those fighting over the few natural resources left in the world.

Well, straight-up, the manga has some notable differences between from the anime, from very early on. It's still absolutely gorgeous, but I would say that a few of the changes are for the worse (not by much, but just a little bit for the worse).

I love seeing the differences between the movie and the manga

The planet has been made toxic by pollution and wars, and now small groups of people are all that remains of human life. The small groups are periodically besieged by mutant insects and miasma, toxic spores that flood the air.

It is up to Nausicaa, princess of her small kingdom, to unite the human with the natural world. She is able to communicate love to the insects and calm the violent impulses of all.

I had to have a lesson on how to read manga before I could get the hang of reading this book, back to front, right to left. There are also characters in many of the panels that express sound effects for the story; there's a key for those, but there were too many to interpret each one. Lots of weaponry and warfare. While I could admire the heart of the story, I struggled to get through this book.

A 1001 Children's Book.