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    One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
    One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
    One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia
    Ebook38 pages55 minutes

    One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia

    By Miranda Paul and Elizabeth Zunon

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Discover the inspiring true story of Isatou Ceesay, an African woman who started a recycling movement to combat the pollution caused by plastic bags in her community.

    For years, plastic bags were a cheap and convenient option for carrying goods in Njau, Gambia. However, when these bags broke or were no longer needed, they were carelessly discarded, leading to an unsightly accumulation of plastic waste alongside roads. The stagnant water in the bags provided a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases, while the burning of bags left behind a foul smell. The bags also strangled gardens, killed livestock, and polluted the environment.

    Isatou Ceesay decided to take action, and she began to collect the plastic bags and recycle them into something new. Her efforts not only helped to clean up the environment, but also provided income for women in her community who had been struggling to make ends meet.

    This powerful and moving book showcases the impact of one person's determination and ingenuity in creating positive change. It highlights the urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis and encourages readers to take action to make a difference in their own communities. Join Isatou Ceesay and be inspired to become a changemaker in your own right.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateFeb 1, 2015
    ISBN9781467777155
    Author

    Miranda Paul

    Miranda Paul is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children, including Right Now!, illustrated by Bea Jackson, Speak Up, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, and Little Libraries, Big Heroes, illustrated by John Parra. She is a founding member of the organization We Need Diverse Books, and lives with her family in Green Bay, Wisconsin. www.mirandapaul.com Twitter: @Miranda_Paul

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    Reviews for One Plastic Bag

    4.5/5

    64 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This books tells the story of one woman's efforts to recycle plastic bags and the impact it has on her town and its people. Isatou Ceesay grows up in Njau, Gambia and becomes aware of the impact that plastic bags have on her small village. These bags litter the streets, cause goats to get sick from eating them, and they are home to mosquitos that cause malaria.As an adult, Isatou and her friends begin to wash the bags, cut them into strips, and crochet them into purses. At first they do this in hiding because others would mock them. Later, Isatou and her friends take these purses to market and sell them. This helps to clean the streets of her village and provide her with money from the sale of her wares. Through the author's note and the timeline provided at the end of the book we learn more about Isatou and her work with the Peace Corps and the Njau Recycling and Income Generating Group. This is a wonderfully empowering tale for women.
    • 4/5
      empowerment; recycling
    • 4/5
      An inspiring true story of a Gambian woman who tackled the problem of plastic trash in her community by organizing women to recycle plastic bags into woven purses.
    • 5/5
      A true story of an empowered woman who chose to fix a real problem in her community. Isatou Ceesay noticed plastic bags accumulating in her town in Garmbia. The plastic was useful, but it didn't degrade after people were done with it and soon one plastic bag became a many discarded plastic bags causing many issues. Isatou decides to solve the problem by recycling the bags into something new.An inspirational story with a strong message that can empower kids to solve a problem in their own community. The writing is simple, but with a strong message of how something small can build exponentially. Isatou's character shows determination and insight. The setting is brought out through the colorful and graphic illustrations. This is a great book for any classroom, especially if you wanted to try your own plastic crochet.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Paul's story about Isatou Ceesay focuses on environmental activism, and how a group of women begin a recycling program for plastic bags in the Gambia. It also introduces the concept of what is biodegradable and what it not. I liked the amount of descriptive words used in the story. The book could be used to teach children about recycling and what they can do in their own communities
    • 5/5
      ONE PLASTIC BAG tells the true story of Isatou, a Gambian woman who tackled the problem of plastic trash in her community by organizing women to recycle plastic bags into woven purses. Not only did she clean up her community and save goats from eating plastic, but she also empowered the women in her village.The story is told simply and lyrically. One of my favorite refrains that shows up in different variations, goes like this: “One plastic bag becomes two. Then ten. Then a hundred.” The repetition of this evocative phrase in different settings reinforces a central theme of the story – the actions of one person can multiply and reverberate well beyond themselves.The illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon are striking with a strong graphic sense. She creates bright and warm collages from plastic bags, African patterned cloths, photographs, and painted surfaces.
    • 4/5
      This true story is about Isatou Ceesay of Gambia, in West Africa, who found a way to recycle all the discarded plastic bags that were accumulating in ugly heaps along the roads. Water collected in them and attracted mosquitoes. Goats were eating the bags and dying. Isatou came up with the idea of washing the bags, drying them, and then crocheting them, making them into recycled purses to sell both in town and online. Other women in her village helped.A note by the author explains how she traveled to Gambia as a volunteer teacher, and was astounded by all the garbage piled everywhere. Someone told her about Isatou and she went to meet her. The women in Isatou’s village shared stories about their work, and how they now had healthier families, better income, and increased self-confidence.The book ends with a glossary, pronunciation guide, timeline, and suggestions for further reading.West African Illustrator Elizabeth Zunon has created beautiful colorful collages to accompany the story.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I've been reading more children's books this year and some of them have made me miss teaching English. This is one of those books--what a great story about a group of people who saw a problem and made a plan to fix it. Would totally use this book to launch a research project unit. Loved the resources at the end of the book to learn more about different regions of Africa.

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    One Plastic Bag - Miranda Paul

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