The Great Big Green Book

The third in a series of Great Big Books, following on from The Great Big Book of Families and The Great Big Book of Feelings, this new title tackles the equally important issue of conservation.  Many children care passionately about the environment and its future, and they are often the loudest voice in the household urging parents to recycle or reuse.  The danger of any campaigning green book is to sound too preachy.  Happily this established author-illustrator partnership never falls into this trap, engaging their young audience with a direct and positive approach.  Plentiful speech bubbles keep the tone light throughout, and the colourful cartoon-like artwork contains a wealth of detail with humour at every turn.  In exploring the major conservation issues, the book explains why we need to protect our precious forests and plants, why we need to keep our air, oceans and fresh water clean and safe.  Throughout the book there is a positive message that children especially can make a difference with action plans for ways to make changes, from recycling and repairing to growing seasonal food and saving on packaging, while acknowledging that it is usually grown-ups who make the big decisions.  ‘The Earth’s problems won’t go away without our help.  Some of the best ideas to help the planet are coming from really young people.’  The author goes on to describe the 18-year-old Dutch boy who has invented a way to clear the ocean of plastic and the 16-year-old Egyptian girl who has discovered a process to turn waste plastic into fuel.  A final section includes a helpful glossary and a listing of useful websites.  An inspiring guide with hope for the future of our planet.