We were sent a copy of Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab to review. Please see full disclosure at the end of this post.
Just before the heatwave hit us here in England this week we managed to squeeze in a trip to our favourite beach. One that we love because it’s not over commercialised and is beautifully litter free. There’s loads of space for children to run around on the sand and play in the sea, and at the end of the day the only thing we leave behind on the beach is our footprints to be washed away by the sea. A perfect beach location for us to read Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab.
Beach lover
Tiny Crab is someone else who loves the beach. And he also loves keeping the beach clean and tidy. In fact, he loved the beach so much that he wanted to share it with some of his friends. His friends come and enjoy the beach, but when they leave Tiny Crab finds that they have left rubbish everywhere.
He clears up after his friends, but the next day they return again, and bring their friends with them too. It’s clear that they love being at the beach, like Tiny Crab does, but it’s also clear that they don’t know how to keep it clean and tidy. Tiny Crab may be tiny, but he knows that if he’s going to look after his beach then he needs to speak up for it. And so that’s exactly what he does.
Creating mini eco activists
Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab is quite simply a perfect book for helping young children understand about taking care of our beaches and our planet as a whole. That’s not where the book’s message ends though. Children, even tiny young ones, are encouraged to speak up for what they believe in. It may be that they need to make themselves heard to those who are bigger than them too, but if they believe in something then that is exactly what they should do.
There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re at a tipping point with climate change right now. The horrific fires that followed the heatwave have been a wake up call for many of us as to what the results of climate change can be on our lives. But the environmental message goes even further. We need to remove rubbish from our beaches and oceans. We need to reduce our reliance on single use plastic. It’s our children’s tomorrow that is being affected and we need to help and enable them to make changes for their tomorrows. Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab does exactly that. Shows them how to speak out and be heard.
It was absolutely perfect to share this book with our three year old at the beach. She loved the bright and busy illustrations accompanying the story. As we read the book I could see her looking around at everyone playing on the beach and she started asking questions about whether or not they were all going to take their rubbish home with them. I’m pleased to say that they did. As did we. With the tide chasing us up the beach there was a final check to make sure that all we left behind were footprints and the remnants of a sandcastle that the sea was reclaiming. Exactly how it should be left.
Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab by Paula Bowles was published by Simon & Schuster on 7th July 2022. Paperback RRP £6.99, ISBN: 9781471191794 It can be purchased online here.
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Tiny Crab is a Tidy Crab for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you arrive at Amazon via one of my links and buy anything it costs you no more than if you had arrived there under your own steam, but I receive a small commission for which I am very grateful. Thank you.
Want to see more picture books?
If you want to see more picture books that we have enjoyed then you might like to look here on Penny Reads.
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