Is recycling important in your household? It is in ours, and I love fun ways to teach about things that are important. That’s why today I’m sharing about a book called Better Than New. It’s a recycling story for kids from Patagonia. Keep reading to find out more.
Better Than New, A Recycling Story For Kids
Outdoor retailer Patagonia just published a children’s book called Better than New: A Recycle Tale / Mejor Que Nuevo: Un Cuenta de Reciclaje. Uniquely presented in English and Spanish, Better than New follows two Chilean kids who encounter a sea lion tangled in an abandoned fishing net. The story opens kids’ eyes to the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean and challenges them to help the planet by making good choices and taking action. The author is Robert Broder; with illustrations by Lake Buckley. Keep an eye out for Better Than New kids events taking place at select Patagonia stores nationwide.
Better than New: A Recycle Tale is available on Amazon.
About the Book
“Will You Help Me?”
Isidora and Julian, playing in the Chilean ocean, hear a plaintive cry — a sea lion is tangled in an abandoned fishing net. They free their ocean friend and then consider what to do with the net. With the help of a bird building its nest, they recycle it into something useful again, something better than new.
Presented in both English and Spanish, Better than New: A Recycle Tale/Mejor Que Nuevo: Un Cuenta de Reciclaje is an inspiring story that presents children with a problem and shows how they find the solution while teaching about the dangers of ocean pollution and encouraging a healthy relationship with the natural world. Issues covered: Plastic pollution in the ocean — the harm it has on sea life Abandoned fishing nets, also known as ghost nets, as one particularly dangerous source of pollution They can be collected (instead of dumped) and made into other things – like fabric How this is done at a recycle facility – melting and restructuring into the fabric, then made into clothing Kids will think it is super cool that they are wearing old fishing nets! Kids learn, “You can help the planet with the choices you make in what you wear.” “You, too, can help save the fish and other sea life.” Kids learn from other animals in nature Empathy toward sea life Take action and have a positive outcome.
About the Author
Robert Broder is a children’s book author and founding publisher of Ripple Grove Press. He is the writer of Patagonia’s first picture book titled Better Than New. Other books include Crow & Snow (Simon and Schuster) and Our Shed (Little Bigfoot) which received a Kirkus Starred Review. He lives in Vermont near Lake Champlain, with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a very old dog. He likes to drink coffee and go for a run just before the sun comes up.
About the Illustrator
Based in New York City, Lake Buckley is a native Californian who works as a director, creative director, and illustrator. Her relationship with Patagonia began in 2013 when she received an environmental grant to bike cross-country researching female-owned farms. Since then, she has been grateful to have Patagonia as a client in addition to Google, MIT, Nest, Instagram, YouTube, TEDx, SAP, Walmart, Bureo, and MTV. Her work has been a Vimeo Staff Pick, has won a Gold SPD award, and has been featured in Nowness, Sundance Film Festival, Walker Art Center, and in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Norway. She taught at Rhode Island School of Design and spoke at Princeton’s annual design conference. Her work is stylistically versatile, always aiming to find the most effective visual expression for an idea.
