Children's Book Review: Somebody Swallowed Stanley! by Sarah Roberts

(Age: 5+)

Wow! Stanley seems to be going on quite an adventure through our seas, visiting beautiful animals, sandy shores and diving birds hunting for their fishy tea! But poor Stanley, he doesn’t seem to fit anywhere - perhaps the ocean is not the place for him?

Mistaken for a floating jellyfish, Stanley is gobbled up by a whole manner of animals: ginormous whales, soaring seagulls and swimming turtles. However, Stanley actually has a few crucial differences to a jellyfish; instead of being a glowing, magical colour, Stanley only has a printed logo on his body. Instead of having lots of stringy tentacles, Stanley only has two white handles. You see, Stanley is not a jellyfish at all but, rather, a plastic bag! His journey through the ocean, meeting (and often being eaten by) whales, turtles and birds presents a humorous, lighter tone on the dangers of single-use plastics, showing how they affect our sea animals so drastically.

Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts is a thought-provoking picture book about plastic pollution, perfect for teaching children about the importance (and beauty) of our environment. The author, an Eco-journalist, is also the founder of an education outreach project and hopes to educate all people - big and small - about very important environmental issues. Thus, Somebody Swallowed Stanley was born.

Sarah Roberts educates and encourages us to do better for our planet. The perfect book to introduce children to environmental issues, Somebody Swallowed Stanley is a must-read!