This is a cute little illustrated book to approach litter and recycling to children. There's a ton of trash in the world's water and this is a great way to bring awareness to that because every person can have an effect on pollution.

A group of animal friends go to the beach and discover the water is polluted with plastic trash. One of them, who has been reading a magazine article about this issue, tells the others how plastic trash is ending up in the ocean through polluted rivers, streams, and other waterways, about the dangers to wildlife in the waters and surrounding areas, and they discuss what they can do to help fix the problem. They discuss reducing the amount of disposable plastic products they use, and reusing disposable plastic products- they make kites from the plastic bags they used to bring their food and other items in. So they hit the points of reduce and reuse, though they miss out on recycle- there could easily have been a bin for plastic bottles on the beach by adding one more picture spread. Overall, however, this quick story serves to start the conversation about becoming more environmentally responsible, and even offers a craft project at the back to decorate a reusable canvas bag for shopping. A good start for littles!

#PlasticSoup #NetGalley

Thank you, Clavis Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Plastic Soup is a story about a group of animal friends that decide to spend the day at the beach. When Frog and Fox go swimming, they discover that there’s plastic in the ocean and that the plastic doesn’t make swimming very much fun. They bring some of the plastic back to show their friends, and Hedgehog says that they saw something in a magazine about how a lot of plastic ends up in the ocean, turning it into a plastic soup. The animals agree that plastic soup is not a good thing, and they wonder what they can do to help. The animals decide that they should start using less plastic, and to reuse the plastic that they do use, so it doesn’t end up in the oceans.

I love that this book teaches kids about plastic pollution and the environment. This is a simple book, and it doesn’t go into many details about complex environmental issues, but I think it’s a great way to start a conversation with kids about the environment. I think this book can lead to a lot of great discussions about ways we can use less plastic, and I think the message is presented in a simple enough way that everyone can understand. I also loved that this book has a DIY at the end so that kids can make their own reusable grocery bags.

I liked the illustrations in this book, and I loved all of the different animal friends. I thought it was cute that the first page of the book (probably the end pages, but I’m using a digital copy) featured all of the different characters and had a little line about each of them. I loved the full-colour illustrations and the little details like the hermit crab that’s just hanging out in the sand.

Overall, I thought this picture book was fantastic. I love picture books that teach important lessons, and protecting the environment is one of the most important lessons of all. I think this book can lead to some great discussions, and it is definitely worth the read.

I like the idea behind this book, but I don’t think the story is successful. A group of animal friends go for a day at the beach but find plastic in the ocean. They share a book and learn how all this plastic is causing other animals harm. They don’t want to eat or swim in plastic soup but want to fly a kite. The kite is broken so they turn their plastic bags into kites. The story is cute, and includes instructions on how to decorate your own canvas bags at the end, but I wish that had been part of the story instead. To end with flying plastic bag kites don't really teach kids how to use less plastic. So for this reader the lesson is lost.

A wonderful book that gets kids thinking about their impact on the environment. This book is a very cute way to get kids interested in reduce/reuse/recycle!

It is beach day for a group of animals, only when they get there the realize that the beach and water are full of plastic and trash. The animals help clean up the beach to make it a better place for today and tomorrow.



This was a cute read, with animal characters which younger readers will love. It also has a great message about recycling and reuse of plastics when you are able. I think that it promotes a wonderful concept. I also think it is import to talk about how real animals are affected every day by pollution and trash to convey this point even more. The images are vibrant and cute, making them welcoming to a no-so-great concept.


Sadly, in the current state of the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay away from and reuse plastic. We have had a decline in the use of reusable bags and more cleaning products come in plastic than I think I even realized. I still think this is a great teaching tool that can be used now and after we get things back to normal.


It can also be used to explain how things normally are and what has changed in the pandemic world. I think it is important for children to understand that while plastics might be increased during this time other types of pollution are dropping, like pollution from cars since many are still remote or quarantining.

Adorable illustrations bring this book about recycling and reusing to life! A group of animal friends go to the beach but find some unwanted rubbish! They learn more about plastic waste and water pollution and find ways to reuse their own items to lower the waste amount!

A cute and accessible way to get children thinking about their impact on the environment. Nicely illustrated to keep reader’s attention.

A Little Preachy

This book tries to teach an environmental lesson about plastic. The young animal characters discover plastic trash during their day at the beach when they wade into the ocean. They agree that none of them like this. At the end of the story, they turn their plastic bags into kites. Just after the story, the author shares a very simple project showing how to make your own personalized fabric grocery bag. Personally, I thought the message was delivered in a somewhat heavy-handed way. I think it's good that children's books approach important topics and even explain how to do your part, even if it is small. But I just think a more delicate hand is needed, or else the story feels preachy, which this one did at times.

Totally approachable story about plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water and a call to action asking children to think about the use of plastic. I appreciate childrens books that dare to deal with important topics and big problems on a smaller scale. I especially like that the book asks readers to go beyond just reading the story and asks kids to take an active role in reducing plastic use with a reusable shopping bag craft. Perfect book for storytime programming.

A perfect book to read especially now when it’s summer and beach weather. This is a wonderful story to remind adults of the hazards of ocean liter and a learning exercise for kids. The pages are colorful and the story is easy to understand. My toddlers and I enjoy reading this. Thank you to NetGalley, Clovis, and Judith Koppens for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

Seven adorable animal friends just hanging out on the beach until they realize plastic pollution is taking over. Then they set off on a mission to clean it up by reducing, reusing and recycling!

Adorable art work, great moral - animals + environmentalism I'm 100% here for it and love to teach it to kids starting at a young age.

Cover: 5/5 - obviously.
Audience: Children, Young readers
Beach, animals, environment
Loved it! Read this to your kids!

This is a super sweet and informative children's book, using a group of animal friends and their day at the beach to teach about the problem of marine pollution. The illustrations are adorable and age-appropriate - I used to work with Public Education in an environmental agency, and this would have been perfect for storytelling sessions or a presentation for young children. It would also be a great starting point to discuss the three R's (reduce, reuse and recycle) through the kite project and the craft discussed at the end.

The book does a great job of showing the real-world and personal impacts of plastic pollution in our beaches, and offers a simple explanation of how our actions lead to it. I do have one fact-check though: it's inaccurate to say "most of the plastic that we throw away ends up in our oceans", that line could have been altered to specify that litter is more likely to end up in oceans, or simply that a lot of plastic garbage ends up in oceans. Overall, a great way to get kids involved in caring for the environment!

Very cute little book to teach kids about plastic pollution and the effect that it has on our oceans. I was also really pleased with the artwork and the encouragement to reuse or repurpose old things into new ones.

Thanks to NetGalley for another ARC book.

I like the story and the illustrations. It's not lengthy which kids love. I did not expect the plot when I saw the cover. It teaches readers about helping the environment which is a good thing for them to know at a young age.

Plastic Soup
By: Judith Koppens, Andy Engel, and Nynke Mare Talsma
4.7 / 5.0

I loved this picture book. It was a friendly way to show kids how we affect the ocean and how our garbage is harming marine life. The illustrations were adorable. I liked how Talsma showed a fish in a glove, a jellyfish with plastic soda rings around it and a crab floating on a plastic container in a scene. It is important to show children how we are affecting the Earth without being too cruel. This picture book will help get the message to children.
The craft at the end of the story makes it perfect for a storytime or Earth Day celebration. This book can just be the starting point. You could make a whole lesson about recycling around this book. It can help start a classroom/community recycling project or even kickstart an individual family's recycling. I will definitely be recommending this book to families.


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Soup-Judith-Koppens/dp/1605375306/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=plastic+soup+koppens&qid=1591302312&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plastic-soup-judith-koppens/1132588876?ean=9781605375304

This review will appear on my blog on August 7, 2020.

A cute and very basic introduction to plastic pollution in oceans. A group of friends visit the beach only to discover lots of plastic floating the ocean, a yucky plastic soup! The friends transform the trash into toys when their original kite breaks, and still have a great beach day when they fly their newly-made, plastic bag kites.
Children who love animals will like the cast of adorable, animal friends and the story describes the basic concept of ocean pollution in an age-appropriate fashion. The colors could be brighter- the washed out effect makes the book feel older rather than a brand new title, but nonetheless, the joy of reusing materials and making toys of out nothing will hopefully inspire younger and older children alike to see what they can do with the recycling in their life.

I loved this cute read. I loved the simple way the book talked about reusing and ocean pollution. 4yo munchkin loved that they reused their plastics.

Plastic Soup is a delightful book with a simple message and easy corresponding activity. I could easily envision this book being used in conjunction with Earth Day activities in a preschool or kindergarten classroom.

Koppens and Engel did an excellent job developing a storyline to depict the plastic pollution crisis in our oceans and other bodies of water for early readers. The dialogue is engaging and appropriate for all ages. My only criticism...This book left me wanting more information on creating a plastic bag kite and a few basic statistics on the long term effects of plastic pollution.

No one wants to eat plastic soup, gross, and no one wants to swim in it, either. When a group of friends head to the beach for a fun day in the sun, Fox and Frog dip into the ocean only to find plastic bags and bottles all around them. When they share their finds with their friends, they learn that most of the plastic we throw away ends up in the ocean, which isn’t good for the animals who live there. Instead of throwing away their plastic bags, they reuse them and make them into kites, and for carrying things, they have reusable, cotton bags instead.

This cute little book packs a big message about our environment and some small but important steps we can take to protect it, mainly stopping our use of single-use plastics as much as possible. Reuse where you can, and prevent use in the first place if possible, especially in the form of bags, by decorating and using reusable cotton bags. There’s even a quick, easy craft in the back of the book that your kids can follow to decorate their own reusable shopping bag.

I appreciated the message in this book, and the setting is perfect for summer time. This one’s out in July, so keep an eye out for it at your local book store or library to add to your kids’ beach reading collection this summer.