A Planet Full Of Plastic gives a fascinating insight into the ways we use plastic in our everyday lives – how it was invented, how it is used and, most importantly, how we can reduce our plastic consumption and deal with our rubbish. It’s a really thought provoking and inspirational picture book and a fabulous introduction into ways that we can protect our environment from our plastic waste.
On the first page we are introduced to a little boy who accompanies us throughout the book as Neal Layton tells us all about plastic. We start by looking at things that are made of plastic and where they are made.
Then we travel back in time to meet the inventor of plastic and share in everybody’s excitement at this fabulous invention. But then we are introduced to the word ‘biodegrade’. And plastic doesn’t biodegrade like leaves do…
The boy looks alarmed as he is shown the scale of the problems that unwanted plastic causes. Large amounts end up in the sea and landfill sites but there are ways we can help to reduce waste.
A Planet Full of Plastic gives suggestions as to how we can reduce our plastic use and recycle our waste. We were fascinated by some of the innovative ideas that scientists and engineers are working on to ‘clear up the mess’ and there’s a useful page at the end of the book which gives children ideas as to how they can help to solve the plastic problem.
The illustrations are amazing and include so many different fact filled layouts. We love the illustrations that almost look like collage, for us this was one of the most powerful images and really made us think about our plastic bottle use.
There are also photos in the book, this one shows the 330 million tonnes of plastic that we throw away each year…
A Planet Full Of Plastic is an important book and every school and classroom would benefit from having a copy. It’s a great introduction to the environmental issues which result from our use of plastic and can help to encourage discussions about what we can do to help reduce plastic waste. The text, often accompanied by text within the illustrations, is easy to read and explains concepts in a really child friendly way.
This is a great first picture book for raising awareness of environmental issues caused by plastic use and for inspiring children to think about how they can help to fix the problem of A Planet Full Of Plastic.
Age Range: 4 +
Author / Illustrator: Neil Layton
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