Image: Candlewick Press
Ducks Overboard: a True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum. unpgd. Candlewick Press, September, 2021. 9781536217728. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Happy Friday! I cannot believe that Christmas break starts next Friday! Fact Friday features Ducks Overboard: a True story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum. Who doesn't love those seemingly ubiquitous little, yellow rubber ducks? They are produced in the thousands overseas and shipped by container ship all over the world. In 1992, one of those container ships ran into a storm at sea and a container with 28,000 rubber ducks fell overboard. This story is told by one of those ducks as it drifts further and further away from the other ducks, eventually ending up floating in a garbage patch. The duck notes how floating garbage such as plastic bags is mistaken for food and eaten by marine life and how treacherous abandoned fishing nets are to sea life. A double-page spread featuring a map of the world, shows how the ocean currents move and how some of the rubber ducks ended up traversing the Arctic Ocean to end up in the UK. Unlike, Ducky, written in 1997 by Eve Bunting, which depicted the event as an ocean adventure, this duck's tale informs the reader about the dangers of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
Back matter contains an explanation of ocean currents and some plastic facts, such as by 2050, scientists predict that there will be more plastic in the world's oceans than sea life. There are also tips about how each of us can help.
The bright palette of the mixed-media illustrations are predominantly blues, with the sea life and bits of plastic pollution providing flashes of color.
Told in an age-appropriate, appealing way, Duck Overboard is a fantastic introduction to the effects of plastic pollution for our youngest readers.
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