Book Review: “The Big Beach Cleanup” by Charlotte Offsay

Recommended reading age: 3 to 7 (though kids of all ages can enjoy reading this with their families)

What Makes This One of the Best Children’s Books

Urging a kid to care about recycling and reducing trash might seem as futile as asking them to restrict their candy intake.

Unless, of course, families can show kids how protecting the environment impacts their daily life.

Good news: Charlotte Offsay’s energizing book “The Big Beach Cleanup” does just that, by chronicling a young girl’s tenacious efforts to restore her local beach to its former glory.

This relatable story not only demonstrates how simple steps can help transform the environment, but it also educates readers about key aspects of humans’ environmental footprint.

The book kicks off with young girl Cora heading to her town’s beach, eager to practice for a sandcastle competition, only to be heartbroken. The competition has been postponed, due to heaps of trash cluttering the beach.

Intent on crafting her dream sandcastle, Cora recruits her family members to clean up the beach.

When their hard work barely makes a dent in the trashy terrain, she persists. She makes flyers, pounds the pavement, and rallies more and more neighbors to pitch in.

Eventually, the beach looks pristine and Cora participates in the sandcastle contest… but it’s no longer her top priority. Now a resolved activist concerned with saving the environment, she continues to advocate for better environmental practices in her community.

Undoubtedly, this story offers an invigorating example for young readers of how they can make a difference, if they commit to a cause.

And the book offers still more, by sprinkling the story with environmental insights. Cora’s mother explains how litter can fall into drains and get swept out into the ocean. She also points out how animals confuse trash for food.

The characters also make an invaluable point that kids don’t need to spearhead a community campaign to make a difference. Simple efforts can help, too, like recycling and throwing garbage in the trash.

This book not only motivates readers to help the environment – it provides them with a step-by-step guide on how to do so.

How My Child Reacted to This Book

This story captivated my son, who’s in preschool, all the way through. The book especially earned his interest with pictures of sandcastles (and sand creatures), which he inspected with great enthusiasm.

The story also made him curious. He asked about what happens to animals that eat trash, and about various ways that animals can become entangled in garbage (which seemed to fascinate him).

Most important, he seemed to grasp the overall message of the book, and even compared the trash on the beach to trash we’ve seen at the park.

Potential Conversations and Activities to Pair with This Book

“The Big Beach Cleanup,” provides an ideal opportunity to chat with kids about protecting the environment.

The author even makes this easy. She provides a list at the back of the book with simple steps families can take to help the environment, like relying on reusable containers and avoiding the use of plastic utensils that can’t be recycled.

Families might want to consider making their own list of simple ways they can help the environment.

After reading this book, my son and I use Tupperware containers instead of sandwich bags for our snacks. We also throw out any litter we find during our visits to the park.

As this book taught us, these small steps can still make a difference.

More Children’s Books Like This

‘Sofia Valdez, Future Prez’ – An Empowering Story of Kid Activism