Ignorance is bliss. Or so they say. In One Plastic Bag, Isatou, as well as many other people in Africa and around the world, are ignorant of the problems associated with plastic bags. As they have done with other baskets, made from biodegradable materials, they drop the plastic bags on the ground. There are no trash services to clean them away and so they pile. Goats eat the plastic and get sick and Isatou learns more information from the butcher about how the bags have hurt the goats. Now she can't ignore the problem. Now that she knows. She also notices mosquitoes gathering because of standing water. Along with women in her town, she starts to crochet change purses made from the plastic bags.
I found this story both beautiful and empowering. Instead of looking at the problem and throwing her hands in the air, or proclaiming it was too big a problem for one person to tackle, Isatou picked up one bag. She was one person and she picked up one bag. Then she picked up more. And she made something beautiful. I only hope that our young people who might pick this book up find themselves inspired to do the same. Solve problems and create something beautiful.
On a personal note, I am hoping to create a maker space within my library walls, using materials to create and I hope that by sharing this story, I can inspire some of the students at my school to embark on a similar project. Time will tell, of course, but I hope.
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia also earned a place on the list of Finalists for the CYBILS award. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner on February 14th.
http://oneplasticbag.com/
http://mirandapaul.com/
@miranda_paul
http://lizzunon.com/
@elizabethzunon
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
ISBN: 978-1-4677-1608-6
Published 2015 by Millbrook Press
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