Plastic Pollution Topic

This is a wonderful book that follows the cycle of a mysteriously individual jellyfish-like creature named Stanley as he travels through the ocean. As he meets other sea creatures, differences between him and them start to become apparent – like his two handles and colourful stripes. Various creatures swallow Stanley as he tenaciously continues on his journey until he is found by a human, on the shore, who chooses to put Stanley to much better use. A fun and brightly illustrated picture book with a clear message that plastic does not belong in the sea.

This award-winning wordless picture book offers endless opportunities for discussion and creative writing. A beach-combing young boy finds a washed-up camera on the shore, and when the film is developed it reveals a fantastic new world of creatures from the ocean. Incredible illustrations that speak for themselves. Read our blog for inspiration from one talented teacher who brought a Flotsam literacy unit to life.

This is a story about Captain Green who, after graduating from superhero school, sets on a mission to save the many animals that find themselves stuck in various pieces of plastic whilst living in the ocean. After many attempts, Captain Green realises that in order to make the most difference, he can’t just keep saving the animals but needs to take steps to protect the oceans to stop the incidents happening in the first place. With his new motto: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – he sets about changing the attitudes of humans for a better world. This is an enjoyable and accessible story for children who will love to read it over and over again, spurring them on to look at how we could be more effective with protecting our planet at home.

Clean Up! is the second picture book from Nathan Byron and Dapo Adeola, and acts as a sequel to their mightily popular debut book Look Up!. The story follows a young girl called Rocket, who goes to visit her Grammy and Grampy in Jamaica. However, when Rocket stumbles upon a baby turtle trapped in some plastic on the beach, she begins to realise how pollution is ruining this once perfect island. Determined to make a change, Rocket sets about on a mission to give the beach a thorough clean up!

This picture book was an absolute pleasure to read and delivered a delightful story with a powerful message to match. As a teacher, I believe this book is deserving of a spot in any school as it offers so much in terms of the themes which link to caring for the environment and encouraging children to take the lead from Rocket in being bringers of change. I love that even the youngest children will see the example Rocket sets and be inspired to act with the same passion and desire as Rocket does to change the world for the better.

The illustrations in this book are fantastic and Adeola does a superb job at making this book so visually enjoyable and bringing the protagonist of Rocket to life. Rocket is a character that will be seen as a role model for readers and her enthusiasm is infectious. I am certain this book will replicate the positive reception that its predecessor Look Up! had, and deservedly so.

A picture book telling the true story of how one woman in Africa began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community. In Isatou Ceesay’s village was becoming cluttered up with discarded plastic bags, causing problems for animals (who choke on them) and attracting disease-bearing insects. Determined to bring about positive change, Isatou finds a way to put the bags to a new use. A highly recommended picture book to use across the whole primary age range.

Nellie Choc-Ice is a well-travelled penguin, who also happens to be slightly accident-prone. While attempting to get home via a series of mishaps, she comes across an island that blocks her path. The island is entirely made of plastic rubbish in the ocean. The story makes it clear that the plastic is putting wildlife in danger and that it must be cleared up. This is a funny and accessible first chapter book addressing an important issue, with a super-readable and child-friendly format that makes it perfect for newly independent readers.

This story from award-winning author Elizabeth Laird is a great choice for KS2.

When young Finn takes a dive in the water near his fishing village, he is delighted to find dolphins to swim with. However, the dolphins face a terrible threat due to the masses of rubbish floating around in their water. It is up to Finn to find a way to save the sea creatures and prevent their natural environment from becoming ruined.

This is a topical and thought-provoking novel with environmental and ocean themes.

A highly-recommended ocean story with themes of family bonds, parental mental health and marine conservation.

The story centres around a connection between an eleven-year-old boy, Rio, and a beautiful grey whale. The tale highlights the topic of environmental sustainability but also draws a picture of the wonderful connection that can develop between children and animals, placing hope and empowerment in the hands of the young to make a difference in the planet’s future.

The book is an appealing non-fiction book that encourages children to develop an interest in helping to stop plastics being used and damaging our oceans and wildlife. Each section has a clear title, key information, accompanying photographs and diagrams, labels and key facts. Each page has a clear and colourful layout with just the right amount of accompanying text to give children the knowledge and understanding they need about this topic. There are also additional downloadable resources available here.

This book contains a list of 50 different ways in which everyone, including children, can make a difference to the planet and most are easier to achieve or require less effort than you might think. The author makes suggestions such as giving up using glitter, saying no to straws or having a clothes swap party. The message is clear that you can start small and even small changes are important. It covers ditching plastic, reducing waste more generally and being more conscious of personal impact on the environment.

This is an information-packed picture book that draws attention to just how many everyday objects are made of plastic. From plastic straws and food wrapping to ketchup bottles and cat toys, there is no denying that plastic is all around us. The book walks through the history of plastic production and introduces the problem with materials that are not biodegradable. What’s more, through photographs, illustrations and child-friendly diagrams, the author explains that much of the plastic ends up in the ocean in enormous garbage patches (the most famous of which is currently three times the size of France!).