(suggested) reading age: 8+
(suggested) interest age: 7+
Ever wondered where that milk carton goes after you throw it away? On quite an adventure as it turns out…
I borrowed a copy of this book a few weeks ago from the library, but somehow forgot to review it. I was reminded of it this morning whilst walking with the pram in our local park. Some inconsiderate so and so dumped a binbag full of rubbish right next to the bin. How selfish and thoughtless. Was it really that hard putting it in the bin I wonder? It really breaks my heart when I see people ruining and disrespecting our beautiful world by littering and fly tipping. Anyway....
On to the book. I grew up with DK books - birds, ships, reptiles, buildings... you name it, there was a book for it. As a young reader who wasn’t very keen on fiction, I loved learning about the world around me. Something that still holds true today. I remember many of these books floating about in the nineties, but I haven't seen many of them recently. That's why I'm pleased that Rily has started adapting some of the 'Darganfod' series. Looking at how many titles are available in English already, there’s going to be no shortage of books for them to adapt into Welsh over the net few years…
The book follows the tried and tested format of DK over the years and it doesn’t look that much different to how they used to look when I was growing up. (a bit more colour perhaps!) Some might think they're a bit old-fashioned, but for me, they don’t need changing really because they just work so well. The pages are filled with clear pictures, diagrams and interesting fact bubbles that present a lot of information in an easy-to-read manner. I wish all non-fiction books were this well put together.
This is certainly a book you could enjoy at home, but I see a lot of use for it in classroom, especially in years 3-6. The Four Purposes of the new Curriculum talks about creating 'ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world (demonstrating their commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the planet). This is therefore the perfect book for an unit of work on recycling, the environment, pollution or the local community. Personally, I’d use it for an information-gathering/research task or as a resource in a group reading session (it opens up a lot of discussion points). You can just read bits of it or the whole book, it really is quite flexible. It suits itself well for presenting different elements of a non-fiction book as well, such as the contents page, index or references.
Wales overall has a good record for recycling and sustainability, but we’d be foolish to think we're doing enough. Although things are improving, we're still living in a wasteful throwaway culture. What happened to the make do and mend mindset that was so popular years ago? Whatever happens, going forward, things will have to change. The current situation is unsustainable. I almost feel it's too late for this generation, but there is one glimmer of hope – our children. It's not fair at all, because we've left this world in a right old mess. They will have to inherit all that. I just have to hope and dream that they will do a better job than we did.
This book educates the next generation about some of the problems we face. That’s why books like this are so important.
Publisher: Rily
Series: Darganfod!
Released: 2022
Price: £6.99
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