Thanks to Hilary and to Kaleidoscope Magazine for alerting me to this wonderful book.

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 point.

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.) ( )