Watermelon Pip by Sharna Carter - Ethicool Kid's Books

Watermelon, it was sassy little Pip's favourite food in the whole world. And she didn't like to share it with anyone. But when the watermelon supply ran out, Pip had to learn to improvise. And then she had to learn to share the fruits of her labour!

An utterly gorgeous kids' book about sustainability and sharing.

Blue-eyed pip is juicy-sweet, but mightily sassy, too! She eats watermelon for breakfast, lunch and tea, sharing with no-one, no matter how hard they try. One day, though, the watermelon supply dries up. There are no watermelons at the little shop, the big shop, or the online shop. Not one. Pip has a sinking feeling in her hungry, little tummy.

That is, until she remembers all those watermelon pips she used to spit over the fence while swinging on her tyre swing! She scales the fence, and sure enough, right there is a joyous garden of homegrown watermelons! Pip is overjoyed! But, just as she's about to begin devouring that juicy flesh, she remembers all the hungry faces with whom she never shared.

She knows what she has to do. And, so begins one of the most beautiful endings to one of the most heartwarming children's picture books you're ever likely to read.

From the author, Sharna Carter: why do we need a kids' book about sustainability?

It's so easy for our little ones to develop behaviours of over-consumption these days. After all, there is a whole world of material things at their fingertips, literally just a button-click away. It's so easy to buy something here and throw it away there, all without thinking about the consequences.

But what if we taught the joys of becoming self-sufficient? What if we could encourage our little tots to grow their own juicy fruits? And, even more, what if we could inspire them to share with others and relish in the feeling of generosity?

I think we can all do this. And that's why I wrote Watermelon Pip, a story I'm deeply proud of, and a truly gorgeous introduction to sharing and sustainability for the world's children.

We write about sustainability, because we care about sustainability

We create gorgeous children's books with a message. But when we produce them, we also send a message.

The overwhelming majority of the world's children's books are produced in high-polluting factories, with non-recycled paper and petroleum-based ink, which is terrible for the environment. Here at Ethicool, we knew that wasn't an option for us - we couldn't very well contribute to the problem we were trying to solve. That's why Ethicool books are printed on recycled papers, using soy-based, environmentally safe inks.

• Recommended ages: for 0 - 6yrs old
• Author: Sharna Carter
• Illustrator: Stella Mongodi
• Size: 11" x 8.5" landscape (27.5 x 21cm)
• Cover: heavy softcover (300GSM)
• Pages: medium inside pages (200GSM)

An excerpt from the story

Watermelon was Pip's favourite food in the whole wide world. She loved its bright pink colour.

She loved the taste of its sweet, crunchy flesh. She loved that it had its very own handle when cut into triangles.

Pip loved watermelon so much she kept it all to herself. There wasn't enough for her classmates.

There wasn't enough for her very best friend, Indie. And there definitely wasn't enough for her brother, Luca.

----

Pip sat on her tyre swing thinking about all of the watermelon she had wasted and how on days like this she loved spitting those little seeds over the fence.

"Of course!"

Pip ran to the fence, peered over and saw...

A garden of watermelons!

Pip rushed inside and began to devour her watermelon. But instead of happiness she had that sinking feeling in her tummy.

Pip knew what she had to do.

She harvested all of the watermelons and delivered the biggest one to her classmates. She found Indie and gave her the perfect triangle. Then she chopped some cubes for Luca.

Word quickly spread about Pip's watermelons.

They were the pinkest, sweetest, crunchiest watermelons anyone had ever tasted.

Most Ethicool Books are designed for ages 0 - 6 years old, but are frequently read by much older children, too.

All our stories average 500-750 words in length.

About the Company

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We create remarkable children's books about the world’s big issues, inspiring kids to create positive change.

Why the big issues? Well, because our little ones are ready. They get it. They're perceptive, intelligent and capable; they're ready to grow up and make the world a better place. They have the answers, the solutions, and the motivation to not only fulfill their own dreams, but to make our planet more equitable and sustainable.

And we have the stories to get them started.

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Creating a better world is an important mission, so we partner with the world's most talented authors and illustrators to create books that are not just meaningful, but truly BEAUTIFUL to read and stunning to look at.

The potential of little ones

Ethicool was founded in 2020 by Australian husband and wife team, Teigan Margetts and Stuart French.

When tucking their two young sons into bed every night, they would often invent stories about the world's big issues, with their little ones playing the starring role of saving the day.

They quickly realised that their children not only understood the issues, but wanted to do more about them.

Wanting to teach their sons more, Teigan and Stu turned to children's books. But, as they browsed through the hundreds of books they owned, they couldn't find a single one that inspired great change.

And so, Ethicool was born: a children's book company that helps little ones change the world.

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Creating books usually requires cutting down even more trees.

But not ours! Ethicool’s books are printed using recycled or sustainably-sourced papers, as well as soy-based inks.

Our books have been extensively tested for durability by the most unforgiving testers (toddlers!), so you won't be looking to throw them away after a few weeks' reading.

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Ethicool Books is immensely proud to be a partner of 1% for the Planet!

1% for the Planet members have given back more than $US265 million to the environment, simply by donating 1% of their revenue every single year, regardless of whether they've made a profit.

It's an incredibly simple model, but one of immense value - financially, environmentally, and culturally.

It means we're actively invested in living our beliefs and contributing to a cause that is passionate about solving the right problems, and on a global scale.