I Wonder is a story about a little wooden boat who is left on the beach to wonder what it is. Written by Allison Paterson and Illustrated by Nancy Bevington. Published by Big Sky Publishing.
This is a story of a little wooden toy boat is abandoned on a beach by its owner. It encounters other things that land next to him, a potato chip packet, a takeaway cup, and a plastic bag. They all tell the little wooden that they are a form of rubbish, which leaves the little wooden boat wondering if it also rubbish, or litter or waste.
I found this story enchanting and sadly so relevant today. We often find things abandoned and forgotten on the beach or in a park. This story is written from the perspective of one such item, who wondered what it was and what it would become. This story would be an ideal educational tool for young children who are beginning to understand what rubbish is, and what can be recycled.
Blue Bear absolutely loved this picture book. The bright colours of the beach and the vivid colours of the clouds and waves were particularly appealing. He tells me his favourite page was the one with the potato chip packet and the seagull because he liked how real the seagull looked and the goggly eyes of the potato chip packet and little wooden boat.
Blue Bear also tells me that if I don’t want him anymore, he wants to be recycled and given to another child to play with because he doesn’t want to become rubbish.
A delightful picture book for young readers to assist with educating them about waste management and how to look after their toys. This picture book is written for 4 to 8 year olds.
Thanks to Book On Tour PR & Marketing for organising the Blog Tour that this review is part of.
Educational activities
Sorting activities:
This activity can be hands on and/or on paper. Using actual packaging or pictures of packaging, children sort the objects into groups indicating the type of rubbish it belongs to.
Groups can include:
Recycling – Paper, plastic and glass
Plastic recycling could even be divided into soft plastics for REDcycle containers and others plastics.
Compost – organic waste such as leaves, banana skins and apple cores
General waste – Everything that can’t be recycled or reused.
Maths activities:
Graphing activities that are age appropriate to represent the various rubbish groups and the size of each group.