This Kids Book from Volvo Is Inspiring the Next Generation of Ocean Guardians

Volvo Car UK is continuing the fight for the ocean’s future with a new children’s book created by Grey London in partnership with award-winning illustrator, Jago Silver. 

‘The Day the Ocean Went Away’ is thematically linked to Volvo’s latest Sky Atlantic film ‘The Unseen Ocean’, which tells the true story of primary school teacher Tom Franklin, who also runs ‘City Kids Surfing’, a programme that teaches children to swim and surf while educating them about the environment – often introducing inner city kids to the ocean for the first time. 

It is a fictitious story about a little boy called Jack, who loves the ocean but wakes up one morning to discover that the ocean has completely disappeared. Jack journeys across the dry seabed to find out why, meeting all sorts of beleaguered ocean creatures along the way. Whether it’s a plastic bag-filled blue whale or a mermaid caught up in plastic fishing nets, Jack soon discovers that the ocean has plenty of reasons to go away.

 

All proceeds from the book, which is now available on Amazon, will go towards Tom Franklin’s not-for profit social enterprise City Kids Surfing, which aims to help more inner-city kids experience the ocean.

 

Georgina Williams, Head of Marketing at Volvo Car UK, explained: “At Volvo, we recognise the impact our products have on the environment. It’s why we have one of the most ambitious sustainability programmes in the industry, spearheaded by our aim for at least 25% of the plastics in newly launched Volvos from 2025 to be made from recycled material.

“The hope is that this book will find its way into the hands of children who may never have seen the ocean and that it will help them understand its fragility as well as introducing them to the basic concept of sustainability.”

 

Jago Silver, the book’s Cornwall-based Illustrator, added: “This book really was a labour of love. Each page was crafted to reflect the rugged beauty of the Cornish coast, which is very dear to me, and an almost dystopic vision of a world with no oceans. It had to be awe-inspiring, terrifying, but also hopeful, so that children will take its message to heart, even if they’ve never seen ocean with their own eyes. How can a child love and protect something they have no connection to? Every time someone buys this book, we’re another step closer to creating another much-needed ocean guardian.”

‘The Day the Ocean Went Away’ supports Volvo Cars’ global initiative to fight plastic pollution and improve sustainability practices, both in its cars and in the wider world. By 2025, it aims for at least 25% of the plastics in its newly launched cars to be made from recycled materials, and to make its global manufacturing operations climate-neutral. Volvo also aims to eliminate single-use plastic from its offices and events by the end of 2019. 

In September 2018, Volvo also became the first and only carmaker to endorse the G7 Ocean Plastics Charter, which commits governments to take concrete steps towards addressing the issue of ocean plastics pollution.

Just like the film, the book teaches a valuable lesson about fragility. Children are also encouraged in the back of the book to make a promise about what they’ll do to make a difference - called #Ipromise - and then, much like a New Year’s resolution, write down what their pledge is in an attempt to help them stick to it.

‘The Day the Ocean Went Away’ is printed entirely from FSC recycled stock and will be priced £7.99.