Review: Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola

A snazzy spot-varnished cover presents a young Black girl surfing blissfully under the crest of a wave in the azure waters of a tropical paradise—or does it? On closer inspection the water is, in fact, overrun with domestic waste and it’s endangering sea life. With eco sack in hand, resourceful Rocket's not just surfing, she's cleaning up as she rides!

Clean Up! is the second eagerly awaited title in an inventive picture-book series from Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola. The talented duo's debut Look Up! (Puffin, 2019) set the bar high by topping the Sunday Times Bestseller List and winning the Waterstones Children's Book Prize this summer. Clearly, the sequel had much to live up to, and it does not disappoint.

Rocket travels to an unidentified Caribbean island to visit her grandparents. The fact that Grammy and Grampy run an animal sanctuary is a lovely unexpected setting detail that reflects a side of Caribbean life rarely seen in children's books.  

Rocket soon discovers the coastline is littered with rubbish and, true to form, she galvanizes the locals and tourists, forming an amazing Clean Up Crew!

Children at KS1 will love the observational detail in the lively illustrations which will prompt questioning, encourage prediction and use of inference skills. Reading this story promotes many writing opportunities, for example, newspaper reports, posters, postcards and animal fact files. It also provides a lovely way in to talking about environmental issues without feeling too heavy or anxiety-inducing, and you could also highlight the importance of teamwork (PSHE). 

The book naturally promotes other curriculum links, too. For example, the use of geographical vocab: beach, coastline, Caribbean island, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, sea, holiday and pollution (geography); observing and classifying waste items by their material properties, and researching the variety of animals that live in coastal habitats and what they need to survive (science). 

My niggles with the previous book are of no concern this time around. The Caribbean setting means the US versioning issue is averted as the text and illustrations marry perfectly. And although Rocket's brother, Jamal, is still mostly glued to his mobile he engages more in family activities: raking up litter, spinning the decks and even allowing Rocket to bury him up to his neck in sand, which demonstrates some character development. 

Nathan's chatty tone and quirky story structure will be familiar to children who have read Look Up! and it still feels so refreshingly of the now. Through his trademark fact-filled speech bubbles we feel the real impact of pollution but also realise Rocket's intellect goes way beyond her fascination with space in the previous book. 

Indeed, this book goes further in celebrating Black women's accomplishments and challenging gender norms. As well as super-smart problem-solving Rocket, Grammy is an accomplished surfer like sports icon Imani Wilmot and Theresa's mum is a multi-talented sculptor. In the glorious group scenes, Black characters are not sidelined. Dapo ensures different ethnic groups are represented in a balanced and uncontrived way.

Beyond the timely lesson about the negative effects of pollution on nature, there's a heartwarming message about the strength of community and what we can achieve if we all work together. Rocket's unyielding determination lifts your spirits—you can't help thinking that if she were a real, she might just save the whole wide world! 

Guide for teachers and parents

Genre	Narrative: dilemma story
Child-led interests (EYFS)	n/a
Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)	KS1
Curriculum links/topics (EYFS/NC)	English: Spoken language (Y1-6) – ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge; articulate and justify answers; Reading (Y2) – listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond which they can read independently; discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary; discussing favourite words and vocabulary; drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher; making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done; answering and asking questions; predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far Science: Working scientifically – identifying and classifying; Everyday materials – distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made; identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock; describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials; compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties; Living things and their habitats – identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other; identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats Geography: Human and physical geography – use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to: key physical features including beach, cliff, coast, forest, hill, mountain, sea, ocean, river, soil, valley, vegetation, season and weather; key human features including city, town, village, factory, farm, house, office, port, harbour and shop PSHE: caring for the environment; working as a team
Suitability	whole-class teaching, school/class library, storytime, home library
General features	first-person narration, present tense, speech bubbles, words in bold, facts; dilemma to be solved

All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my Jericho Benchmark.