Better Than New / Mejor Que Nuevo - by Robert Broder (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Will you help me?" Isidora and Julian, playing in the Chilean ocean, hear a plaintive cry -- a sea lion is tangled in an abandoned fishing net. They free their ocean friend then wonder what to do with the net. With the help of a bird, they recycle it into something useful again, something better than new. This inspiring story educates children about the dangers of ocean pollution, then shows what they can do to help heal the earth.

Book Synopsis

"Will You Help Me?"

Isidora and Julian, playing in the Chilean ocean, hear a plaintive cry -- a sea lion is tangled in an abandoned fishing net. They free their ocean friend then consider what to do with the net. With the help of a bird building its nest, they recycle it into something useful again, something better than new.

Presented in both English and Spanish, Better than New: A Recycle Tale/Mejor que Nuevo: Un cuenta de reciclaje is an inspiring story that presents children with a problem and shows how they find the solution, while teaching about the dangers of ocean pollution and encouraging a healthy relationship with the natural world. Issues covered: Plastic pollution in the ocean -- the harm it has on sea life Abandoned fishing nets, also known as ghost nets, as one particularly dangerous source of pollution They can be collected (instead of dumped) and made into other things - like fabric How this is done at a recycle facility - melting and restructuring into fabric, then made into clothing Kids will think it is super cool that they are wearing old fishing nets! Kids learn, "You can help the planet with the choices you make in what you wear." "You, too, can help save the fish and other sea life." Kids learn from other animals in nature Empathy toward sea life Taking action and having a positive outcome

¿Me ayudarás?

Isidora y Julián, jugando en el océano chileno, escuchan un llanto lastimero: un león marino está enredado en una red de pesca abandonada. Liberan a su amigo del océano y luego consideran qué hacer con la red. Con la ayuda de un pájaro que construye su nido, lo reciclan en algo útil nuevamente, algo mejor que nuevo. Presentado tanto en inglés como en español, Mejor que Nuevo: Un cuenta de reciclaje / Better than New: A Recycle Tale es una historia inspiradora que presenta a los niños un problema y muestra cómo encuentran la solución, mientras les enseñan sobre los peligros de la contaminación del océano y Fomentar una relación sana con el mundo natural.

Temas cubiertos: Contaminación plástica en el océano: el daño que causa a la vida marina Redes de pesca abandonadas, también conocidas como redes fantasma, como una fuente de contaminación particularmente peligrosa Se pueden recolectar (en lugar de tirar) y convertirlos en otras cosas, como tela. Cómo se hace esto en una instalación de reciclaje: fundir y reestructurar en tela, luego convertirlo en ropa ¡Los niños pensarán que es genial que estén usando viejas redes de pesca! Los niños aprenden: Puedes ayudar al planeta con las decisiones que tomas en cuanto a lo que te pones. Tú también puedes ayudar a salvar a los peces y otras especies marinas. Los niños aprenden de otros animales de la naturaleza. Empatía hacia la vida marina Actuar y obtener un resultado positivo

Review Quotes

An enlightening call to action! This book would make a great addition to a unit about the impact human's have on the environment as well as their responsibility to recycle and make amends for the negative impact. An added bonus is that the whole book is set in Chile and therefore features bilingual text. This highlights the global importance of the themes of recycling and functions as an inclusive reading experience for Spanish-speaking students. Overall, this is a great story and a versatile book for teaching. -- Net Galley review

An excellent resource for talking to kids about recycling, reusing, and taking care of our planet. I particularly thought this book was special not only for the bilingual aspect, but because of how the publisher chose to "walk the walk and talk the talk" by choosing materials to make this book that would save trees and water. Amazing! -- Net Galley Review

The artwork is bright and fun. It is very appealing to young readers. I love that it is written in English and Spanish. It allows kids to explore a different language while reading. The story of cleaning up the ocean and recycling is great! My kids enjoyed the book and it would make a great gift for others.

Overall, a great book with a good message to kids about cleaning up and recycling. I appreciate that there is information in the back about reducing waste in the oceans. -- Net Galley Review

There is a further benefit to this, in that it's bilingual Spanish and English, with the languages swapping over which takes precedence, and a layout that is clearly designed to be bilingual, and not as is quite often the case, where the second language is just overlaid as an afterthought wherever space can be found. -- Net Galley Review