More fun, less plastic...
some of our favorite book series & audiobooks
(Captain Barnacles! You of all mysteriously small polar bears know that plastic is bad for our oceans!)
I’m not here to toy-shame anyone—lord knows my family does not have a leg to stand on there—but did you know that the toy industry is the most plastics-intensive industry in the world? Ninety percent of toys we buy today are made of plastic. Some of these plastic toys (in one test of soft plastic toys, 92%!) have chemicals that are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors linked to reproductive health effects, including reduced fertility, miscarriage, birth defects, and abnormal sperm counts. Toys are also sometimes made in sweatshops and factories that use child labor.
In Bea’s room alone, there are heaps of plastic bracelets and necklaces. There’s a bin of plastic dolls. There’s a pink Barbie airplane (plastic, of course), with plastic tray tables, food, luggage, and so on. There’s a plastic wardrobe for Barbie’s synthetic dresses and plastic shoes and purses. There are plastic contraptions for making jewelry, and all the little plastic beads, links, jewels, etc.
And then there’s Harriet, who bathes with no fewer than three plastic mermaids, plus several accompanying plastic Octonauts. And the gups, which are their vehicles. Those are plastic too.
So what can you do? You can buy ethically produced, sustainable toys. You can buy second-hand, or host a toy swap. You can participate in Plastic Toy Stories, an Instagram writing prompt/art project for kids intended to increase awareness of the way plastics affect our oceans. And you can buy less, remembering that our kids’ most-loved and imagination-driven toys (like Chicky) are often not the Barbie dreamhouses or Castle Grayskulls, but something more portable and open-ended.
We are trying to buy less—and mostly succeeding, since we haven’t been able to go into stores until very recently (and our kids aren’t eligible for vaccination yet). We have visited our local bookstore, which is vigilant about masks. And we’ve gotten into something that is free, both of money and of plastics (at least on our end): audio books.
Your kid may scoff at the idea that an audio book replaces a toy—books aren’t toys! You can’t even see an audio book! But if you’re looking for what a really beloved toy provides (hours of entertainment, peace and quiet, a spark for the imagination), the best audio books deliver.
Bea and I made a list of our favorite audio book series below, which are all books I’ve also listened to and enjoyed—sometimes in the car, sometimes while making dinner, sometimes just hanging out in the loft with Bea. We listen to them on Libby, a free app you can download and link to your local public library card, which allows you to check them out at home, easy-peasy.
(a few favorites in paperback)
The Ramona Quimby audio collection (performed by Stockard Channing, who is excellent of course). From Bea: “Ramona is so funny, independent, creative, a little naughty, but she learns over time.” I could say much more about the beloved Beverly Cleary, the absolute master of the child’s point of view, but one thing I loved about listening to these books is how clearly I remembered details from my own childhood reading. The boots stuck in the mud! The baddest witch in the world! Ramona (as a kindergartener) watching the clock to take herself to the bus stop (and getting the time wrong)!
The Henry Huggins books, also by Beverly Cleary (and narrated by the fantastic Neil Patrick Harris, whose slightly-unhinged adult voices are hilariously on-point). From Bea: “Henry mainly tries to get away from Ramona. He thinks she’s a pest, and these books are from his point of view. He loves animals, and he works really hard to get what he wants. He’s determined.”
Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing and Superfudge are the rare kids’ audiobooks narrated by the author herself—Judy Blume. From Bea: “Peter is a funny, exasperated fourth grader and his brother Fudge is a crazy five-year-old.” I’d forgotten what a sociopath Fudge is. Warning: this book does give away the Santa game.
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke, beautifully narrated by Mutiyat Ade-Salu. This book series is set in an unnamed country in “amazing Africa.” (I wrote about our love of this series and Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books about a year ago here.) From Bea: “Anna Hibiscus has a huge family including lots of aunties and uncles, cousins, and two brothers—Double and Trouble—who are mischievous and sometime get her in trouble. She has a big heart and always wants to help her community.”
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker—our friend & children’s librarian Kathleen recommended this great series. From Bea: “She’s a funny, independent third-grader. She’s an artist, and she’s really good at math. She’s in a gifted class for math, but so far—no gifts! She lives in an apartment building in Boston and names cats after things in the bathroom. Her first cat is named moisturizer.”
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins—another terrific recommendation from Kathleen. “It’s about a fourth grader who lives in Brooklyn. Suddenly he meets Invisible Inkling, an invisible bandapat who loves pumpkins and squash and is from the Peruvian forests of mystery… or maybe the Ukranian glaciers.”
The Birchbark House Series by Louise Erdrich. This might be our favorite series of all—a historical series set in a similar time and place to the Little House books, but told through the experiences and point of view of an Ojibwe girl named Omakayas. I’d recommend listening or reading these books together—serious topics like smallpox deaths and white theft of indigenous lands are portrayed from a child’s point of view (and so are understandable by children), but it’s helpful to discuss them. We have the set of these books (and most of the other books I mentioned) because we love reading them together or on our own—plus, Erdrich does the charming illustrations in the print editions. From Bea: “It’s about an Ojibwe girl who has to leave her home, but makes an amazing journey through the multiple homes where she settles with her family. I can’t say a single bad thing about these books.”
Do you enjoy listening to audiobooks? What are some of your favorites? Any nonfiction favorites?
I have not tried audible books with Miles but I will the next time we travel together because I think that would an ideal time to introduce them. I always listen to them when I am driving, out walking, cooking, or cleaning house. I really appreciate the reminder that they are a wonderful option for children as well. Not only are better for our environment and health than plastic toys, but they also will help children in developing with one of the most important communication skills, the ability to listen and comprehend.
My kids love The Penderwicks (several in this series), about four sisters who have adventures, and they listen to them over and over. They also really liked Martin and Sylvia in the Sparkle Stories podcast, although they are slowly outgrowing them, unfortunately!