I love to have guest blogs here and I find it’s such a great way to share stories, learn something new and to share our own passions. My guest blogger today is Ellie Jackson who has recently returned to the UK after having lived abroad for many years and being involved in conservation work. Ellie has written the wonderful tale of Duffy the Sea Turtle .
Ellie Jackson and illustrator Liz Oldmeadow, are two mums with 5 children between them who met at mother’s group when their sons were babies. A chance discussion over coffee led the mums to discover their mutual talents and so began a partnership that after many months of juggling children and other commitments has finally led to Duffy’s message being ready to be shared. Here’s more about her story.
I never thought about becoming an author, it was a process that I fell into by reason of circumstance and luck. An amazing opportunity to live for a year on a tropical island in the Great Barrier Reef was not something that I ever thought would lead to a new direction for me – we moved there as a family for beaches and adventure! The most beautiful beaches, framed by palm trees and sunsets, just how you would imagine an island paradise to be.
We didn’t wear shoes for a year, we had our own pool, and a great circle of friends. My three children were all under school age and it was the perfect chance for us as a family to experience a more laid back approach to life and give our kids real freedom. My husband works from home and this allowed us the opportunity to try something different before we had to start real life when our eldest started school.
We heard about a turtle release happening on one of the beaches – I have to say I didn’t realise what a big deal this event was going to be – the whole island turned out plus TV cameras and journalists. When it was time for the turtle to be put back into the water, we formed two lines into the sea and the turtle was released on the beach and immediately headed for the sea and was gone in a matter of seconds.
It was a surprisingly emotional experience to see this turtle who had spent a year in the aquarium getting fit and healthy again, returning to her ocean home. After the turtle release, we visited the Turtle Hospital on the mainland and heard all the different reasons as to why turtles need our help – one of which is where they suffer from eating too much plastic. As soon as my young children had made the link between plastic on the beach and turtles, every time we went to the beach they were running around picking up rubbish saying “Mummy, I’m saving a turtle!”. Well that was it for me, I was amazed at how such a simple true story could motivate and encourage such enthusiasm for picking up rubbish!
Duffy’s Lucky Escape is a beautifully illustrated book teaching children about the dangers of ocean plastics without overwhelming them. The powerful message is delivered in a fun and friendly way and ends by inspiring children to make changes to their own and their families lives. A perfect present for Christmas or gift to your child’s school, please visit duffytheseaturtle.com to order your copy for just £7.99 with a percentage of all profits going to UK national marine charities.
You can follow us on social media for latest updates and competitions as well as information about my new book due out before Christmas.
Thank you so much Ellie for joining us today and telling us about the events leading you to write your book.
Doing more recycling xx
I recycle and teach my kids to not drop litter and recycle too
i recycle what i can
Recycle what ever we can, also clothes and toys to charity shps
We always recycle
I recycle as much as I can, and walk when I don’t need to take a car.
I recycle most things i use x
i recycle
I grow everything in my garden organically including fruit and vegetables and keep a scrubby area and a pond for wildlife aswell as using low energy light bulbs and recycling.
Oh wow that sounds really good, I’d love a pond
We don’t drive and we do recycle.
We recycle materials and compost our food waste.
I have recently swapped plastic bags for compostible bags when disposing of my cats’ litter.
We use reusable glass milk bottles from the local farm.
We recycle everything that we can find a scheme for and send decent unneeded stuff to charity shops.
I recycle as much as I can
we like to reuse leftovers to minimise waste food and lso to recycle where possible
We recycle cardboard, tins and glass
We recycle
We recycle as much as we can
Oh wow. Great post really like finding out the behind the scenes of books. #kcacols
Thanks:)
This looks like a lovely book, kids love anything with animals don’t they! Thanks for linking up to #KCACOLS
I recycle everything I can get my hands on!
Oh this looks like such a good book and I love that the fact that some of the proceeds go to the marine chariTy. Thank you so much for linking up with #KCACOLS and we hope to see you next time!
We recycle
I recycle what i can, I don’t drive and I make sure I switch all unneccessary appliances off xx
I recycle as much as I can, switch lights off when I’m out of a room, don’t run the tap etc
Brilliant 😊
We recycle as much as we can.
We always recycle
I try to recycle as much as possible
recycle as much as possible
Oh wow! The book is obviously a fab idea but this lady’s life sounds so fascinating. A great discovery.
#KCACOLS
Turn off lights and other electrical devices when we don’t need them, try not to waste water and recycle.
Oh I would love a copy of this book for my grandson. Living in Queensland myself, I am aware of how precious and beautiful the Great Barrier Reef is. Thanks for sharing this post with us at #BloggersPitStop.
We always recycle!