Is it okay to pee in the ocean? The fascinating science of our waste and our world by Ella Schwartz, illustrated by Lily Williams

This book covers a number of different topics, interconnecting them in interesting ways. It starts out with the title question and explores the human body, chemical composition of urine, how waste is disposed of and what it can affect. The conclusion is that you can pee in the ocean - it's such a small amount that it just doesn't matter! Swimming pools and lakes are a no-go zone though. From here Schwartz moves on to explore the different types of pollution in bodies of water, especially the ocean, how it gets there, and how it affects our daily life as well as the planet. The final chapters talk about how readers can make small changes, reduce plastic use, and save the oceans from pollution.

The book is illustrated with black and white drawings, featuring the two kids on the cover, as well as photographs, diagrams, and filled with a lot of information. There is plenty of back matter for kids wanting to pursue the topics of human waste, pollution, marine science, and more. However, I take issue with the way the conclusion is framed. Schwartz has literally spent most of the book explaining how the small amount of urine makes no difference to ocean pollution, but then trots out the same old "ban plastic straws and you can save the world!" suggestion. I agree that kids should be conscious of waste and learn to be responsible; I think it's fine for everyone, kids and adults, to think about how we use resources. But falling back on the same old "if everyone does their little part we can save the world," which leads directly to a lot of ableist and classist thinking as well as negativity directed at those who can't economically or mentally afford to take all those "small steps" is not the answer. Even things like recycling or reusable bags are complex topics, not simple solutions. It's a generalization, but 80% of water pollution comes from agricultural, corporate, and waste treatment runoff and the sources of plastic pollution in the oceans are complex and varied as well - and 0.025% comes from plastic straws. Just like peeing in the ocean doesn't make a difference, banning plastic straws is also irrelevant.

This is a constant annoyance of mine in any books that address climate change, pollution, or ecology. While it's reasonable to simplify things for kids, encourage them that their efforts make a difference, and inspire them to make changes, we shouldn't be placing the burden of repairing the environment on individuals and especially not on children. However, this is a really common trope in these types of books. Honestly, I'm not sure how you would present it differently "do what you can, but big corporations are going to keep destroying everything anyways" is not exactly a kid-friendly message. Maybe it would be better to keep the focus on the science and educate kids to find their own solutions and changes as they grow.

Verdict: Despite the ending, this is a strong addition to any collection. It's full of fun facts, interesting research, and well-presented. Until the end, it's backed up by science and I can see kids reading it for fun as well as research and school assignments. There really aren't any titles that don't fall back on "plastic straw" fallacy, so I feel fine about adding this, with the caveat that it would be as well to accompany it with some discussion of the divide between the science of the book and its conclusion. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781681195131; Published February 2023 by Bloomsbury; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library