4 Eco-savvy children’s books
2-5 years DUGONG MAGIC by Deborah Kelly, Hachette
Marine biologist Deborah’s story of a mother dugong teaching her baby calf how to pull up tasty seagrass from underwater meadows at the bottom of the ocean, carries a solemn message. As humans ditch rubbish into the sea, the cloudy water snatches the sunlight, which the grass needs to grow, and the calf stays hungry. Fast boats sail too close to the beautiful creatures, and carelessly slung nets trap Mama dugong. These beautiful creatures were once mistaken for mermaids with their slow and graceful gliding. For thousands of years dugongs have been an important source of meat and oil for FIrst Australians, who also sing of them, tell stories of them and feature them in artwork.
3+ years JELLY-BOY by Nicole Godwin, Walker Books
“It was love at first sight. You were big and strong. And not as wobbly as other jellyboys.” But the love-struck jellyfish’s family did not like her new amour. “We’ve seen his type before. He’s dangerous.” And when the reckless jelly-boy survives the propellers of a boat, it is clear – many a jelly-boy has met their end this way – “You weren’t like other jelly-boys.” But jelly-girl continues to follow what we now know is a plastic bag. “Then I saw them – an army of jelly-boys. Dangerous. Destructive. Deadly. And you were one of them.” Humorous illustrations with a drum roll undertow warning about the harm plastic bags can do. Over a million sea birds and 100,000 sea creatures die annually from plastic.
4+ years
THE GIANT AND THE SEA by Trent Jamieson, Hachette
Wonder at the lyrical text and divine illustrations in this astonishing hardback book. A female giant stands by the side of the sea, as she has since long, long ago. She warns a girl on the beach, “The sea is rising. Go to the city. There is a machine they must turn off or you will drown.” But the angry people rise up and refuse to stop their splendid invention, which billows smoke from its chimneys. They protest with placards and confront the giant. “I cannot make you turn off your machine. But the sea will and then it will be too late,” she warns. When the sea floods the city, the giant carries as many as she can to higher ground to build a new village. Many years later a boy on the beach meets a giant…
6+ years
OLD ENOUGH TO SAVE THE PLANET by Loll Kirby, Walker Books
Meet 12 real-life children from around the world - all passionate activists. Aussie Shalise protects the ocean by clearing pollution from the shore; Indian Himangi campaigns against traffic pollution; Amy and Ella, sisters from the UK, are committed to eradicating single-use plastic through their charity Kids against Plastic; and Vincent from France created a community garden that reduces food waste. They are illustrated in spectacular drawings in their classrooms, jungles and villages, and there are 10 steps as to how you can join the junior changemakers. Says Anna Taylor, leader of the UK Student Climate Network, “All it takes is one person to start trying. Don’t wait until tomorrow.”