Plastic, Ahoy!, by Patricia Newman and Annie Crawley

Perhaps you have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where plastics that have been dumped off of boats, washed down rivers, or tossed on the beach have gathered in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, author Patricia Newman and photographer Annie Crawley ride along on a scientific expedition whose purpose is to examine the garbage patch and evaluate its effect on sea life.

One thing that may surprise you about what they found is what the garbage patch is not.  If you picture it as a gigantic bundle of bottles and other recognizable plastic refuse floating like an island in the Pacific, you're wrong.  (So, contrary to the story line of this graphic novel, no one will be able to establish a colony on the garbage patch.)  There are, of course, bottles to be found, but for the most part the plastic has been broken down into tiny bits and pieces, suspended a few inches below the surface.

Newman and Crawley describe and illustrate the tasks of several members of the expedition while discussing the patch and its potential importance.  The presentation is quite balance, avoiding the hyperbolic scare tactics one might expect from a children's book about an environmental mess.  But they do make very clear that this patch has the potential to do some serious damage to the ecosystem, even at a distance of thousands of miles from land.

Plastic, Ahoy! doesn't shy away from introducing complex language and ideas, and includes a glossary, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.  It would be appropriate for older elementary school readers and older.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!