Lalo the sailor finds Rosa the talking fish atop a garbage pile in the port, and so begins the story of a search for clean water in prolific children’s author Yayo’s SOS Water.

“I want a better life!” says Rosa from her dirty, discarded fishbowl, and the two embark on an adventure to the four corners of the earth, looking in vain for a clean, safe place for Rosa to call home. Everywhere they turn, page after page, they find empty plastic water bottles – in ponds and deserts, under the Eiffel Tower, even replacing a hippo’s teeth in the middle of a tropical jungle. From mountain top to ocean bottom, the world is littered in plastic bottles, revealing the consequences of our bottled-water consumption and throwaway culture.

Lalo dreams of a better world, cleansed of the choking debris, and turns to his animal friends for help. The message washing through the story is powerful and compelling, presented in Yayo’s signature illustration style and providing children with a tangible takeaway about the world and the special roles they play within it. 

When Lalo and Rosa end their journey in a community garden run by Bilbo the gentle garden gnome, they are rewarded with a magic oasis that offers hope to young readers. Dedicated to Mother Earth, SOS Water is a gentle journey from bottle to tap, where water becomes a source of environmental inspiration for making small, consistent, impactful changes for the good of all.mRb