Jelly-Boy

Illustrated by Christopher Nielsen

My family are brave. And they are strong.”

In the picture book Jelly-Boy, written by Nicole Godwin and illustrated by Christopher Nielsen, the reader is given a view into the relationship between sea creatures and plastic waste. We follow the narrator, who is a nameless jellyfish, and her newfound love for one unique jelly-boy. It is obvious to the reader that this jelly-boy is just a plastic bag in the shape of a jellyfish. He drifts into her life, and thanks to his bravery and strength, it seems like love at first sight. However, her parents are heavily against the thought of her swimming along with a jelly-boy. They describe his “type” as dangerous and not one of them. Although she understands what they’re saying, she decides to go against their wishes. Later, on a normal swim, jelly-boy and others are swept up by a heavy current. Her family strings all of their tentacles together and save her, leading her to realize that her family possesses a great deal of bravery and strength, something that can never actually be artificially replicated.

Jelly-Boy opens young readers’ eyes to the overwhelming amount of litter in our oceans, while also tying in themes like the importance of family and why humans should be eco-conscious. The story also gives a unique insight into what sea creatures might think of plastic waste in the ocean. The storytellers craft an intriguing, fun story with a positive ending, while still shining light on negative topics like plastic waste pollution. The illustrator also highlights topics relevant to marine conservation through depicting numerous sea creatures affected by litter throughout, such as showing a turtle swimming with plastic rings stuck around it. The book can be connected to real oceanic problems like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is just in between the coast of California and Hawai’I, which takes the lives of sea creatures when they get tangled up in or consume the plastic. This book’s themes emphasize plastic pollution as a whole, but they may also be extended to microplastic pollution since this more subtle type of pollution is also detrimental to the lifestyle of sea creatures. Overall, Jelly-Boy addresses marine litter and integrates a personal narrative, making for a meaningful story cover to cover.

©2026 ClimateLit (Jack Dewar)

Publisher: Walker Books Australia, 2024

Audience: Ages 8-13

ISBN: 9781760659349

Pages: 29

Format: Picturebooks

Topics: Ecoliteracy, Marine Conservation, Marine Pollution, Plastic Pollution, Pollution