Author Interview and Giveaway
Book Details:
Book Title: Saving the Seas for the Purple and Green: A Story of Cleaning Up the Ocean by Nancy Carlisle
Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 34 pages
Genre: Juvenile fiction/science & nature/environment
Publisher: Sage Green Press
Release date: March, 2022
Content Rating: G. There is nothing even close to PG or R in this book, it is totally G
“A simple, relevant, and informative read that gives kids a positive outlook on what can be done to reduce our impact on the ocean.” — Taylor Lane, Creator of the Cigarette Surfboard
A young girl loves the tide pools that she sees on her runs by the ocean, but one day notices garbage amongst the colorful creatures she finds there. Along the beach she meets conservationists cleaning up the beach who educate her about the dangers that trash pose to ocean life. She decides to help also.
Saving the Seas for the Purple and Green was definitely not what I was expecting. I think due to the title and page length I thought it would be a simple, but note-worthy picture book. However, I found it to be much more than that.
As I read it I felt like I was reading a combination of picture book and non-fiction for older children. My first thought was that there were too many words for a true picture book, and the content felt too advanced for little ones. So I read it again. And that time I had a very different feeling about it.
This felt like a nice combination of fact and fiction. Something that would be just the right thing for elementary school children. I could visualize this as a wonderful teaching aid for not only classrooms but families. And it would be even more meaningful for families who live near the beach.
My Concerns
My first concern was the combination of facts and fiction. Would they correlate with the age of the expected reader? Would little ones understand such things as sea anemones or the word carnivorous?
Final Thoughts
The way this book is set up, fiction text surrounded by informative text boxes, suggests that it would be best read with an adult so that there can be discussions.
I would recommend this for librarians and classroom teachers. And of course, it’s a perfect book for home libraries.
My thanks to the author and ireadbooktours for a gifted book and the ability to post my thoughts regarding this book.
Meet the Author
Including Interview:
and internationally on sustainable and energy efficient buildings and communities and won awards for collaboratively designing award-winning sustainable buildings, a laboratory campus, and improving the energy efficiency of U.S. laboratories. Since retiring, Nancy has worked as a volunteer teaching English as a Second Language and mentors first generation college students. She is a strong advocate against plastic waste not only because it pollutes our oceans and water but also because it contributes CO2 to our atmosphere. Nancy enjoys the outdoors and international travel. She is a member of the Society of Children’s
Book Writers and Illustrators and the Society of Environmental Journalists. She studies botanical illustrating and French language.
Interview
- When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?
I’ve been retired for a couple years. I study French and botanical illustrating, swim, do yoga, hike, bike and am generally outdoorsy. Pre-pandemic I assisted teaching English to refuges. I enjoy home remodeling and help one of my sons with his home projects from time to time. I travel as much as I can, visiting Ecuador, Peru, France, Hawaii, and the Colorado mountains this year.
Prior to my retirement I worked for over 35 years as an Architect and researcher, focusing on sustainable and low-energy building design and campus planning.
- What do you hope kids will take away from the book?
I want kids to learn to love nature and to be hopeful, resilient, and persistent. I hope it makes kids think careers in environmental fields to work to improve the environmental conditions on the planet. I want them to begin to think about the interconnectedness of environmental systems and treat all people and the planet with respect. Maybe that is a lot to hope for, but I am optimistic and have a lot of faith in the next generation.
- What makes your book unique?
My book is unique because I’ve tried to do more than write a story by adding the text boxes, glossary, and references. My hope is that these extra materials provide more context for the story in terms of environmental issues that people all over the world are facing. I’ve also tried to write the book in a way to encourage kids to want to be part of the solution to make the world a better place. I’m hopeful that the fact boxes and glossary can be used as conversation starters with parents and older siblings while reading the book to help children become more aware of environmental and social issues.
- What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?
Since I’m an environmentalist fist, writer second my advice is to recognize that there are so many fields where writing is such an integral part of the work. Don’t limit yourself to just writing your own books. Consider using writing to support a cause you believe in whether it be the environment, medicine, technology, art, etc. Developing both skills in writing and a subject matter expertise of interest.
- Have you written any other kids books?
Yes, I have one other. It is called Mia and the Hummingbird. It is about a persistent little girl and a resilient hummingbird who cross pass as they try to rebuild their homes following severe storms. It is filled with pictures and facts about hummingbirds and follows the same format as Savings the Seas with the text boxes, glossary and bibliography.
Thanks so much for sharing with us, Nancy. It’s always fun to get to know an author. ~Debbie
connect with the author: website
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Enter the Giveaway:
SAVING THE SEAS Book Tour Giveaway
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This would be a great book to read my son
It certainly teaches in an enjoyable way. Thanks for your comment.
I enjoyed the interview.
Those are always fun, aren’t they?
I enjoyed reading the interview, Nancy and I can’t wait to share Saving the Seas for the Purple and Green with the kids, thanks for sharing it with me!
Thanks, Pick a Good Book, for sharing your review!
Have a spectacular week!
What a nice comment. Thank YOU for reading my blog and post. Have a wonderful day. ~Debbie
Love the cover and excited to read with my nephew!
If you search my blog for Deborah Rose I can almost guarantee you he will love those books as well. Thanks so much for your comment.
Thank you for sharing your in-depth review, the author’s interview and book details, this sounds like an excellent book to read with my grandchildren and I am looking forward to it
I felt the same way as you, initially thinking it had missed the target audience but then re-thinking who that audience really is. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
😉👍