Black Beach: A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day by Shaunna and John Stith and illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
Imagine being ever so excited to take a walk to the beach on a nice day, but…when you get there, the beach is all black, the ocean is black, and the seabirds are black and stranded. Everything is covered with hazardous crude oil.
Black Beach, a juvenile picture book, is based on actual events that took place in 1969 off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. Union Oil Company had an oil spill; an underwater cap blew off, resulting in an immense amount of oil seeping into the Pacific Ocean, causing catastrophic devastation to the land, sea, sea animals, and animal habitats.
Sam, her family, and the community of Santa Barbara worked hard to clean up the oil and wildlife, but no matter what they did, the oil kept seeping and seeping, making more of a perilous mess.
Having had enough, Sam and her friends decided to do something to get the attention of politicians. Their method was successful, so successful that we now have an environmental celebration each year on April 22 to celebrate Earth Day.
Read this beautifully illustrated picture book to see the devastation that Sam and her community saw and to find out what Sam and her community of friends did to get the attention of the government so they would take action on issues that harm our environment.
Like numerous juvenile picture books, Black Beach is likewise a great read for all ages, including adults.
Enjoy the success of Sam and her friends.
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