Flagship children's book that translates complex built environmental concepts into an easy-to-understand, educational format. Designed to advance public well-being through literacy. On pause — legal accordance.
Just shy of five years ago, the first piece of asbestos-containing material was found in one of the bays in New Zealand. After closely following up with the local community personally affected, as well as conducting material mining lab and onsite field visits over several months, asbestos and asbestos-containing materials were identified as a hidden health concern that required care and attention.
From one of our field visits
Over time, New Zealand and Australian news outlets began reporting the discovery of hazardous asbestos in museums, on beaches, in schools, and in buildings, with many individuals, such as parents, unsure of the risk mitigation measures in place. Asbestos use and asbestos-containing materials have also been found in older buildings and vehicle parts worldwide, sparking bans, including in the United States and globally.
The concern became clear that, while technical information existed, there were few tools to help families and educators discuss environmental health hazards like asbestos with young children, leaving a gap at the earliest stage of understanding. Books were a magical way to bridge those early learning concepts.
About the book
Illustrated by Emma Scheltema https://emmascheltema.com
Asbestos: The Fiber Clue is an accessible environmental book and curriculum-integrated educational resource, scheduled for release in New Zealand and the United States, with further global distribution.
The book will be available in both soft (digital) and paperback copies. The book is one of the first international children's books to introduce environmental issues to children aged 5-7 in a curious, accurate, engaging, and accessible way, without simplifying the seriousness of it all.
Working closely with public health, educational, environmental, and government-related officials, we aimed to ensure the book remained accurate, grounded, and respectful. We want to ensure that families, schools, libraries, and educational organizations can use this fun, adventurous, informative book to spark further discussion.
The book teaches children and anyone to:
We hold a great deal of responsibility to ensure that the language and illustrations are handled sensitively and scientifically accurately, which is why we have verified and shared feedback from experts and cross-checked through sources such as scientific articles and photos.
Children's books on built environmental health issues, such as asbestos, are extremely scarce and we aim to fill that intergenerational gap. We believe it is a timely moment for a book like this to be released. Your support means a great deal to the remaining illustration, printing, taxes, and production costs, ensuring the book can be distributed to as many libraries/communities as possible.