Genres
Description
"When she was young, biologist Ana P�go didn't play in a backyard but on a beach. As she grew older, Ana realized that a new species was becoming more and more common in the sand. She decided to collect the species and give it a name: Plasticus maritimus. She dedicated her life to studying plastic in the oceans and raising awareness of the danger it poses to the health of the planet. Inspired by Ana's experiences, and backed by extensive research, this book explains how plastics are ever more present in our oceans, lakes and streams--more than 9 million tons a year! She explains how plastic is made, offers a field guide to help young people identify the Plasticus maritimus species, and takes a critical look at our current "solutions" to plastic contamination. A call for deep changes in our habits, this book encourages young people (and adults) to become part of the solution. Invasive, deeply destructive, and almost indestructible, Plasticus maritimus is a species that should go extinct!"--from Back cover.… (more)
Publication
User reviews
My library had only one copy, a Hoopla e-book edition, so that is what I read.
The first thing I noticed was the extraordinarily gorgeous illustrations.
There are also some great photos. They make a compelling
This is not a criticism because the narrative is told in an interesting way but this book does read as a textbook. It is a picture book but it’s long, much longer and with more text and more advanced vocabulary than the average picture book, and that is even considering how much page space has pictures.
As far as the text goes, this narrative covers a lot. It’s a comprehensive look at its subject.
Superb science (and nature) book, interesting personal story, lovely art book with splendid pictures & photos. Approachable yet not dumbed down one bit.
I appreciate how the author tells a bit about how she became interested in the subject and takes readers through her various activities. She’s a marine biologist and an artist and combines those skills, and now writing this book, to do her work. In doing so she shows readers of all ages ways they can make a difference. She makes a good case for becoming an activist and taking direct actions to improve the ecosystem. She never minimizes the importance and urgency of the topic but uses humor and art to try to inspire others to join with her to make a positive difference.
I learned a tremendous amount and felt inspired to do better. I’ve already been improving over the years but I have room for improvement. I am too far from living as close to a zero waste life as I can get.
This book should be in every library, including school libraries, and in households that include children.
I wish I had a copy if only to go back to the resources pages but I figure I can always borrow the book as many times as I’d like. This is one worth owning though, in my opinion.
I’d recommend this book to ages 9 and all the way up but I’d say definitely for ages 10-13. (I’ve asked someone who might know the target age for this book better than I and I’m considering asking the author. Anyone else? Thanks.)