Clean Up! is the scrumptious second book in the series by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola, where we see Rocket excitedly travelling to the Caribbean to see her grandparents, Grammy and Grampy. Rocket’s grandparents have an animal sanctuary and run whale-watching tours. How cool is this for Rocket!
While surfing, Rocket notices a baby turtle tangled in plastic and Grampy takes it back to the sanctuary. Rocket wants to do something about the rubbish on the beach and so the Clean Up Crew springs into action
I love the factual ‘Did You Know’ pointers that thread through the book, telling us, for example, that Imani Wilmot created the first female surf competition in Jamaica, and that plastic makes whales sick. It’s a gentle way to inform children about the impact of waste on the environment and more specifically, on the beach.
This book is a must for parents to share at home and to explore issues such as the environment and multi-generational family life. I would especially recommend for teachers to have it in their book corner, not only to read to children, but to use for teachable moments and extension activities, to explore environmental issues and to plant the seed in children about taking personal responsibility for caring for their environment. Children will love the relatable family characters and be able to build on their own family life.
Clean Up will be one of the books that I will recommend and have in my selection of picture books to share with children on my travels.
Published date: 23 July 2020
Publisher: Penguin Random House Children’s UK