What a wonderful storytime Edie and I had today
Reading The Odd Fish
And
Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab

Two gorgeous stories for little readers
About plastic in the ocean
And leaving litter on beaches

These two are perfect for sharing with young children
As the summer holidays begin
My little eco warriors want to head to the beach this week
Not just to frolick and play
But to clear away any litter and especially any plastic

Brilliant and beautiful books like these two
Enchant and entertain little bookworms
And they also plant seeds
Their gentle but important environmental messages
Inspire children to do more to take care of the planet
To think about the consequences of actions such as
Dropping litter and using too much plastic

Little children will read hear these stories
And they will want to do something
My littlest bookworm, age 5
Asked me today if Father Christmas can make litter pickers
It is top of her list for Christmas this year
So that she can help octopus and turtle in the ocean
So that she can help Tiny Crab keep his home tidy
I love my children
And I love that they have stories like these to engage and inspire them

Let me tell you a little more about The Odd Fish
By Naomi and James Jones
And about Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab
By Paula Bowles

The Odd Fish
Is a super sweet eco-adventure story
About a little fish who finds an odd fish
Little Fish thinks that the odd fish
Must be lost
So they and their family try to take them home

As they travel together through the sea
They find an octopus with tangled tentacles

And a turtle with tummy trouble
What can be causing the creatures’ pain and suffering?

This is a funny book
With a super cast of characters
We loved voicing all the little fish
With their funny little phrases and interactions
As they travelled through the ocean together

This book is a joy to read aloud
It is great fun but within the words
And the stunning illustrations
There is an important message
About plastic pollution
And a gentle call to action
For young environmentalists
That my young readers definitely took to their hearts
They are determined to do better than most grown ups are doing
In looking after our seas

Children can see a seahorse wrapped around a cotton bud
Edie did not recognise what this was
But she knew that something was wrong with the picture
We had a great discussion about how plastic rubbish
Finds its way to the sea
And she linked this story to other favourites
Like Alba The Hundred Year Old Fish and
Somebody Swallowed Stanley

The author’s note and information pages at the back of
The Odd Fish
Gave us lots of ideas of how we can start to do more
For the beaches and marine habitats near to us
And to protect our planet

So did Tiny Crab
This super cute tiny crab likes things to be tidy
He loves his life on the beach
Watching the waves
Building sandcastles
Surfing and smoothie drinking
But above all else
Tiny Crab likes tidying
He likes to keep his beach clean and tidy

One day he decides to invite a friend to visit
His friend, Seagull, does not come alone
He brings a group of friends with him
All of whom do not even notice Tiny Crab
They invade his space
Make a mess
And leave all their rubbish behind as they leave

The animals return again and again
Bringing more people
More stuff
And making more and more of a mess
For Tiny Tidy Crab to clear away

One day Tiny Crab speaks up
And shouts out
He tells us all the other animals
That this is his home
He wants to share this beautiful place with them
But they must tidy up their rubbish

Only when Tiny Crab finds his courage
And his voice
Do the animals realise
Their bad behaviour
They should have more respect for Tiny Crab
And his home
They should look after the beach
And take all their rubbish away with them

Edie immediately linked Tiny Crab’s tale
To human behaviour on beaches
And in other areas
We see so much litter in the places we visit
We are going to get our litter pickers
And take them with us wherever we go

Edie and Bea also want to design posters
Reminding people to not litter
And to respect all living things
At the beach
At the farm
In the forest
Wherever we may be
We can all do more
To take care of the planet
And each other

Two super summer reads
Perfect for Plastic Free July

Have you read either of these brilliant and beautiful books?