Puffin Little, Little Environmentalist: Composting, Puffin Books, July 2020, 96 pp., RRP $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760897017
Little Environmentalist: Composting is a “how to do” guide on composting, with explanations that are child friendly and easy to understand. It has been published by “Puffin Little” which is an 80 year old, highly regarded brand in the children’s publishing industry.
I was surprised at how enjoyable I found this book, despite its quite bland topic and its plain presentation. In the voice of the “Little Puffin” cartoon character, the book is a clear and hands on explanation of why and how to set up and maintain a compost heap. The instructions are not only easy to understand but also delivered with humour and a good dose of enthusiasm and delight. I especially love the humour of the chapter comparing a compost heap to a hotel, which needs to be both inviting and comfortable for its millions of important guests, being the various small organisms and micro-organisms which are essential components of a good compost heap.
Whilst on first appearances the illustrations lack the pizzazz of so many glossy children’s information books, I soon came to enjoy the funny, cute, bold green and black drawings which are not only amusing and decorative but also aid understanding of concepts or emphasise important points.
The book is well organised into chapters for each of the main topics and within chapters there are clearly denoted subheadings. The title of a chapter is in vertical text along the page border of each page in that chapter. This makes book content easy to navigate and so is a good first experience in using an instruction manual.
This little book left me feeling motivated and well informed to start my own compost heap. It is a terrific practical resource for getting the kids involved in a composting project.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
