Toy Mountain

Book excerpt: Sam is tired of his toys. Why would he want his Grandma's old trainset and teddy when there's a toy factory high up in the clouds that makes rumbly red toys, grumbly green toys and so much more? In this important story about reducing waste and taking responsibility for the environment, Sam is about to find out. Toy Mountain is a quirky story about 5-year-old Sam's chance to become a toy tester for the Tiny Hands Toy factory. After Sam signs up for his exciting new task, he quickly accumulates a pile of plastic, clunky toys, discarding the well-loved toys handed down to him from his Grandma. But one by one and plonk! by plonk!, his shiny new toys start to break. Soon enough, Sam has a mountain of broken toys that just won't stop growing! This colourful and whimsically illustrated story highlights the waste that results from 'consumer culture', and the value of looking after our belongings. Inspired by the author's childhood of hand-me-down toys, it empowers children to take sustainability into their own hands through their toy purchases. This is a vitally important message in a world where we generate 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic each year, 79% of which goes into landfill. Children and adults alike will find themselves cheering Sam along as he rescues his treasured old toys from being lost under a growing mound of broken plastic, and realises why they're so special after all.