Plastic

past, present, and future
Eun-ju Kim (trans. Joungmin Lee Comfort) (illus. Ji-won Lee)

‘Author Kim and illustrator Lee offer scenes to help kids digest the complex story of plastics ... [R]efreshingly, plastics recycling is not presented as a catchall solution for single-use plastics. Readers are encouraged to reduce single-use plastic consumption, to learn about innovative solutions from scientists and activists, and to acknowledge that eliminating plastics use is unlikely. Illustrations of people throughout show varied skin tones consistent with the bold style used by the illustrator.’

Kirkus

‘This book aims to make the topic of plastics accessible to a younger crowd. Beginning with a brief account of a wayward shipment of bath toys spilling into the Pacific Ocean and making their way across the globe, Kim uses a narrative nonfiction style ... Full-page art further enhances the story, while smaller frames or diagrams help describe how plastic is created, how toxic pollutants fill the air, and how to achieve recycling and reusing.’

School Library Journal

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‘[R]eaders are launched into a close examination of plastic — how it came to be, how it’s made and used, and how it has changed the world, for better and for worse. The book objectively presents the petroleum-based substance’s contributions to the field of medicine and to the accessibility of manufactured goods alongside its increasingly harsh toll on the environment ... Lee’s boldly coloured digital illustrations attractively and neatly chart out complex phenomena such as microplastics consumption.’ STARRED REVIEW

Publishers Weekly

The world consumes over 300 million tonnes of plastic each year. But when did we start using plastic? And why? Where does all the plastic waste go?

Journey through the life cycle of plastic – how plastics are produced and recycled, the many uses of plastics throughout the last century, how our plastic use and pollution has spiralled out of control, and what we can do about it.

Kirkus

School Library Journal

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Details

Format:Hardback

Size: 285mm × 230mm

Extent:36pp with Colour images throughout

ISBN (13):9781912854134

RRP:£11.99

Pub date:29 May 2019

High-res cover:Download Image

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:Download PPTX

AWARDS

CATEGORIES / tags

Science & technology: general interest (Children’s / Teenage) JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / General Social issues: environment & green issues (Children’s / Teenage)Educational: Sciences, general science JUVENILE NONFICTION / Recycling & Green Living JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / History of Science

AUTHOR

Eun-ju Kim

Eun-ju Kim has been writing children’s books for a long time since studying physics and early childhood education in college.

TRANSLATOR

Joungmin Lee Comfort

Joungmin Lee Comfort is a translator who enjoys children’s literature as much as her kids do. She is delighted to have translated Plastic: past, present, and future, and looks forward to helping spread more Korean children’s literature around the world.