Ellie Jackson was inspired to write a children’s book by an animal rescue that she and her family witnessed while living in Australia. Today her Wild Tribe Heroes series is part of a bigger campaign to educate the next generation on environmental issues.
“I wrote a book for bedtime stories,” says Ellie. “I didn’t imagine it would lead to much more.”
Ellie, her husband and four children were living on Magnetic Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia when they observed a turtle, named Duffy, being released back into the wild from one of their favourite beaches. “One day hundreds of people turned up to see this turtle get released and we joined the crowd to watch,” says Ellie. “My daughter, who was four at the time, asked what was wrong with the turtle. So, we went to find out. We visited the hospital on the mainland and listened to the vet talk about the problem with plastic and how turtles consume it, mistaking it for food. My children had seen the turtle, been to the hospital, seen the plastic on beaches and started to link it together. After that we couldn’t leave the beach without picking up litter. My kids would say, ‘Mummy, I am saving a turtle,’ as they picked up the rubbish.”