Summary
Kenzie loves the ocean and playing pretend. Her mom takes her to the beach where Kenzie plays and observes the wildlife. Kenzie’s mom takes her snorkeling in the ocean where she finds plastic and other litter along the ocean floor. Kenzie’s mom explains that it did not always look this way, and it affects people just like it affects the ocean animals. Kenzie decides that she wants to protect her ocean animal friends and sets out to remove trash from the ocean and then from the beach.
Theme(s):
Family, Ocean Conservation, Traditions
Personal Response
This book shows that children can make positive changes in their community. I liked the way the dialogue was written because it was different from many books that children read and was authentic to the characters. The two main characters in the story were African American, which allows for students to experience more diverse characters in their literature. The book made me feel hopeful and happy because it portrayed a child working to make a difference while still playing pretend and having fun.
Teaching Ideas
This book could be incorporated into the science curriculum when students learn about taking care of the earth. Students learn about different types of pollution so this book could help them connect to the topic, but also recognize that they have a role to play in keeping the planet clean. This would be a book I would read after introducing what pollution is, but before discussing water pollution.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01
