Little Pago by Lauren Briggs
Little Pago, a children’s picture book for 2-5 year old’s, is inspiring a new generation of ocean and animal advocates to eliminate single use plastics.
Illustrator, storyteller, mother of four and Eastern Suburbs local, Lauren Briggs, is on a mission to change the way our younger generations think about plastic pollution.
The energetic and beautifully illustrated book follows the journey of a vulnerable, baby sea turtle in an inspiring story about friendship, perseverance and how our choices impact fragile marine animals.
Little Pago
Lauren designed the book to use visual literacy and an emotive narrative to highlight the detrimental impact plastic pollution is having on our marine life.
In Australia, approximately 130,00 tonnes of plastic leaks into the marine environment each year. * A turtle can’t differentiate between jellyfish, plastic bags and balloons. This is exactly what happens to Little Pago in the story!
Little Pago mistaking a plastic bag for food
‘We all know that education inspires change and I realised that Little Pago could be the perfect symbol to empower children to become responsible global citizens,’ confirms Lauren.
‘When I became a mother, my interest in the environment and sustainable living increased. I became more aware of how my choices impacted the environment and that of my children’s future’.
Lauren’s four children on Lankyan Island, Borneo in 2015
On a 2015 family holiday travelling to Lankayan, a remote turtle conservation island off the coast of Borneo, Lauren’s idea for a children’s picture book felt pertinent. ‘I was dumbfounded by the overwhelming statistics that only 1 in 1,000 sea turtles live to adulthood.’ The mother of four (whose children are now 19,17, 14 and 12) realised a picture book would be the perfect way to amplify how we can all play a part in protecting Australia’s endangered sea turtles by turning the tide on plastic pollution.
Collaborating with Queensland publisher Boolarong Press, a percentage of the sale of each book is donated by Boolarong Press to Take 3 for the Sea, an environmental organisation that has a simple message of removing rubbish from our beaches, parks and waterways.
Lauren hopes that the Little Pago narrative offers Australian children the language to understand that each and every one of them can make a difference, no matter how small the action may seem. Collective action is a powerful tool. For some important tips on how to eliminate single use plastics, visit Little Pago. The website has an abundance of informational resources to use at home and to support learning in the classroom; art and craft activities and extensive teachers’ notes.
Become an advocate for sea turtles and the ocean – join the Little Pago Family! littlepago.com
* World Wide Fund For Nature Australia and Boston Consulting Group, “Plastics Revolution to reality – A roadmap to halve Australia’s single-use plastic litter” (2020)
To meet Lauren Briggs and get a signed copy of Little Pago, Lauren will be visiting local bookstores Harry Hartog, Bondi Junction on 2 April 2022 and the Woollahra Bookshop on 9 April 2022.
Each copy of Little Pago is $19.99, printed in Australia on FSC certified 100% recycled paper.
To purchase Little Pago – Little Pago by Lauren Briggs – Boolarong Press
