Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea

This book perfectly portrays the key problems that our planet faces; pollution and inhabitants that are focused on short term problems. Celia Seagull is thrilled to find plastic objects aplenty in the sea so that she can use them for nest making. So intent is she on building the perfect nest that she hasn’t got time to help other animals in need who have become tangled in the plastic objects. She dismisses them as foolish until the same thing happens to her. With the help of a mermaid, this book has a happy ending and important messages of kindness for each other and the earth.

It is beautifully illustrated with rich, deep colours on matt paper. The pictures are detailed, stylised and modern and the rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud to a class. I think that it would be a great discussion starter and that it will appeal to a wide range of ages.

Written to be a legacy for New Zealander, Bobby Stafford-Bush, a teenager who was passionate about the ocean and tragically died at the age of 16, this book is endorsed by Jane Goodall and Ricardo Christie (surfer). I highly recommend it too.

Title: Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea

Author: Nicole Miller

Illustrator: Lilly Uivel

Publisher: Little Love

ISBN: 978-0-473-56871-9

RRP: $15

Format: paperback

Publication: September 2021

Ages: 5+

Themes: Pollution and sealife

Any advisory warnings? Children who think deeply might be disturbed by Ceila leaving the animals to suffer.

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

Reviewer: Kirsten Puddick, Holy Cross School, Wellington

How are you recommending this book? Highly Recommended

Opening sentence: Celia Seagull perched on the cliff, eyeing up plastic and watching it drift.

You can buy this book here