Walker Books

February 2020

ISBN: 9781760651237
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Australian RRP: $24.99
New Zealand RRP: $27.99

Thirty years ago today the Clean Up Australia event started and has gone from strength to strength helping our country become cleaner. Though the world at large is struggling under the massive impact of increased populations and waste there are still ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help redress the dire predicament in which we find ourselves. Witness the success of Boyan Slat and his Great Ocean Clean Up idea and Greta Thunberg’s impact on a world audience and we can have hope that the current generation will continue to work towards a cleaner healthier planet.

What better place to start then than with our little people and that’s where a gorgeous picture book like Jelly-Boy comes in. The littlest Early Childhood readers will be able to grasp the import of the dangers of plastic in the natural environment in a way which is not ‘preachy’ but rather an usual love story which is further elucidated in the facts page at the end of the book.

A little sea jelly decides that the new Jelly-Boy in the ocean is both attractive and special but before too long realises that this newcomer is not alone and in fact, is just one of a dangerous influx that poses a real threat to the natural ocean ecosystem.

I well remember living in the ACT when plastic bags were first banned and the ridiculous furore that ensued – repeated here in Queensland in the past year or so. But for some of us rejecting single use plastics as often as possible was not only de rigeur but just plain commonsense.  Luckily the majority of citizens have realised the good sense of such innovations and our children are growing up with not only an acceptance but an understanding of the reasons for such moves.

If you are working on units that encompass care of the environment, recycling or similar – or perhaps simply as an adjunct to your teaching small humans the meaning of being responsible in their world this is a superb book on which to base your discussions.

Highly recommended for all readers from around 3 years upwards.