The plastic trash that accumulates during the holiday season is hard to ignore. Ribbon, wrapping paper, packaging for gifts and food—they all contribute to the plastic pollution problem that is one of the most serious threats our environment faces.
For kids and adults alike, it can be hard to grasp why a substance as useful as plastic causes so much harm. These books will help you and your children understand how plastic pollutes, why it matters, and what we can do about it.
BOOKS FOR KIDS
Saving Tally: An Adventure Into the Great Pacific Plastic Patch, by Serena Lane Ferrari. Tally is a curious little turtle whose best friend, Ara, is a smart, strong lobster. When they go on adventure, they realize the most dangerous part of the ocean is not sharks or stingrays but plastic bags, bottles, and other trash that threaten their undersea world. Beautiful illustrations bring life to a story that is not without drama when poor Tally gets trapped in a plastic bag. There’s a happy ending, of course, and also some important lessons.
A Planet Full of Plastic—And How You Can Help, by Neal Layton. Layton explains where plastic comes from, why it doesn’t disappear, and how it hurts people and animals alike. But he also stocks his pages with ways to help, like giving up plastic straws and pitching in on a beach cleanup. “My pre-school kids love it!” wrote one parent.
Kids Fight Plastic: How to Be a #2Minute Superhero, by Martin Dorey. Dorey challenges readers to go on 52 “missions” that will help them understand what’s wrong with plastic and what we can do about it. “One of the problems with plastic is that it is made from oil,” he writes. “Unless we do something with it, plastic will never go away… It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, releasing chemicals that are bad for the planet.” Readers can earn points for every mission they complete, like “Fight plastic in your trash can” and “Fight plastic in your lunchroom.” Want bonus points? “Fight plastic with your voice.”
My Little Plastic Bag, by Sam Love. “Amy” throws a plastic bag out of the family car, not realizing it will get into the water, where it might harm sea turtles and birds, and where fish may think it’s food and eat it. The book, designed for children ages four to eight, highlights both the cycles in nature and the way plastic can pollute our food supply.
What a Waste: Trash, Recycling and Protecting Our Planet, by Jess French. Colorful graphics and memorable explanations illustrate all kinds of waste, from single-use plastic to poop. “Pollution is when something harmful gets into the environment and hurts animals, plants, and people,” French begins, before going on to encourage readers to “Use less, waste less” and “Get involved!” Spread throughout are startling facts that will make readers of any age say, “Wow!”
Kids vs. Plastic: Ditch the Straw and Find the Pollution Solution to Bottles, Bags, and Other Single-Use Plastics, by Julie Beer. Tweens and teens will find a lot of easy-to-understand info in the “Plastic 101” chapter, along with stunning stats and reminders not to flush plastic contact lenses down the toilet. Readers can find 25 ways to save the ocean from plastic, along with suggestions on how to live nearly plastic-free.
Plasticus Maritimus: An Invasive Species, by Ana Pego and Isabel Minhós Martins, Bernado P. Carvalho illustrator. When author Pego, a biologist, was growing up, she became aware of the dangers of plastic pollution in the ocean. She shares her knowledge with kids 12 and older, who will learn how plastics end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans and what they can do to change their habits to make a difference.
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, by Beth Terry. This is the only guide you need if you’re serious about living with less plastic. Practical how-to tips will show you how to replace plastic in your kitchen, bathroom, office, and more. But the story of the author’s personal journey “from helplessness to empowerment” will keep you turning the pages.
Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans, by Capt. Charles Moore with Cassandra Phillips. This book tells the gripping tale of how Capt. Moore came across the world’s largest collection of floating trash while sailing from Hawaii to California. He sounded the alarm about the dangers to people and the planet alike from so much plastic pollution, reminding us that “an ocean free of plastic waste is of utmost importance to the survival of all species.”
A Poison Like No Other: How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies, by Matt Simon. “Microplastics represent a cocktail of toxicity: plastics contain at least 10,000 different chemicals,” writes the author. Those chemicals are linked to everything from diabetes to hormone disruption to cancer. This book explores the extent to which microplastics are contaminating us and our world before offering concrete suggestions for how to wean ourselves off plastic before it’s too late.
Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis, by Erica Cirino. We know plastic is bad, but what can we do about it? Face up to the problems it causes and redesign our throwaway culture, the author urges. Her approach includes “cleaning it up,” “closing the loop,” and acknowledging the role plastic plays in climate change and environmental injustice, exposing the way manufacturing chemicals used in plastic threaten predominantly Black and low-income communities.
Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics, by Jennie Romer, Christie Young Illustrator. Can you recycle plastic? Should you? Do those numbered triangles on plastic packages mean anything? Should you buy products made from recycled plastic? Or should you just bury it all and forget about it? You’ll get your answers in this helpful, colorful guide that explains what you can and cannot recycle and what you can use instead of single-use plastic to meet your needs.
Tell EPA: Protect Our Communities From Plastics Incineration Pollution