"The beached whale
was
already
dead.
The next day the headlines read:
WHALE STARVES
DUE TO PLASTIC
FILLING ITS STOMACH!"
That dead whale causes great anguish for Isley. She has quite the tantrum when it is found on her Prince Edward Island beach. It doesn't take long for her to realize that her anger isn't helping. What will help is taking a stand and feeling the power of making a difference. Isley refuses to use any plastic; she encourages her family, her neighbors, her entire community to play a part in making the change. They agree ... and then, they forget. It is just too easy to revert to old habits.
Isley continues to do her part. She collects a huge amount of trash; then does an astonishing thing. She builds a life-size sculpture of the right whale that lost its life to an abundance of plastic in its ocean habitat. Alma Fullerton, a fierce and dedicated protector of the environment does the same. Using 'repurposed plastic, sand, and moss', she creates brilliant images for the illustrations in this fine book. Isley's whale sculpture now acts as a constant reminder to her community to take better care of what they have before all is lost.
We are constantly bombarded with proof that we are killing this environment we call home. Wildfires, heat domes, dying oceans and reefs ... what will it take for everyone to get on board and begin to make the needed differences we can make to bring change? Reading books like No More Plastic brings an awareness to a young generation and is absolutely essential for their future.
In two final pages, Ms. Fullerton explains that ocean waste is unsafe for all marine life. She goes on to describe how children and their families can reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills, and eventually finding its way to our waters.
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