Written and Conceptualised by
Sara Bharwani
Illustrated by
Yogesh Mahajan
Kim saves the Ocean follows a young girl on her adventures around the Caribbean island of St Martin. Using actual photographs of well known locations, as well as plants and wildlife native to the island, author, Sara worked with the illustrator to take her readers on a real-life adventure through the island. Her trip starts in Great Bay and on the Boardwalk in Philipsburg and continues through the Rolandus Channel into the Great Salt Pond and on to Pond Island. The island of St Martin is 37 sq miles with Dutch St. Maarten to the south covering 16 sq miles and French St. Martin to the north covering 21 sq miles. Kim Saves the Ocean is part of the Sara’s Breathe Better Air Campaign which was highlights environmental issues that negatively affect the island. Sara founded BBA in 2018 with a focus on landfill fires on the Dutch side of the island that beleaguered residences and the environment at the time. When these issues were resolved, Sara delved into the problems surrounding single use plastics after realizing the Caribbean and the world continues to be plagued by the litter. BBA’s intervention and awareness campaign was part of the drive that eventually facilitated the passing of the laws that banned single use plastics on the Dutch side of the island. Kim Saves the Ocean is Sara’s endeavor to encourage behavioral change that will positively impact the world we live in. Young readers at an impressionable age will follow Kim and her newly discovered friends while understanding the impact of carelessly discarded single use plastics on the environment.
For Nana Banana, I love you always
Published in association with Bear With Us Productions © 2022 Sara Bharwani Kim Saves The Ocean The right of Sara Bharwani as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or part in any form. ISBN: Cover brand by Richie Evans Design by Luisa Moschetti Illustrated by Yogesh Mahajan www.justbearwithus.com
Written and Conceptualised by
Sara Bharwani
Illustrated by
Yogesh Mahajan
Once upon the island of Sint-Maarten There lived a young girl named Kim. She loved many things, but her favorite thing Was to find somewhere good for a swim.
She swam in the Caribbean Sea with coral, Through the seagrass of Simpson Bay Lagoon. By beaches, in ponds, she’d swim anywhere, In mornings, nights, and afternoons.
One day when she was out swimming, Kim couldn’t believe what she saw, Among all the ripples, crustaceans, and fish Sat a lonely white plastic straw!
The straw was unlike most straws that she saw For this was a talking one! She’d got herself stranded in the ocean waves, And she wasn’t having much fun.
“Help me! I’m drowning!” the straw cried. “I’m coming for you!” Kim called out. Kim swam really fast, and took her to shore. She saved her, of that there’s no doubt.
“My name is Emmy,” the straw said to Kim. “I’m from the Straw Army, you see. I came here especially to find you, And to deliver to you a plea.”
“My friends and all my family Live in the burnt-out Dump. It’s just across the Salt Pond, How we got there has us stumped!”
“We need your help to get us out for we don’t know quite how. We are in a real big mess. Will you come help us now?”
“What would I do?” Kim exclaimed. “I don’t know where to start!” “I have a plan!” Emmy explained. “Come get us on your raft!”
So, Kim she grabbed her raft, And sat Emmy on the deck floor. She pulled the raft out by a rope Then swam away from shore.
But soon they had a problem, The raft, it sprang a leak. “Don’t worry, I’m the perfect fit.” Said Emmy, “Go now! Quick!”
“And once you’ve saved my people, You can reuse my plastic back To fix your raft up properly, And fill in this great big crack!”
Emmy felt a little bump From underneath the raft. A funny-looking creature tried To bite her clean in half!
It was a very hungry turtle. “Hey! Stop! I’m not lunch! I swear to God! I promise you! Please do not chew and munch!”
The turtle looked a bit confused Not knowing what to do. For turtles think that plastic’s food They cannot tell, it’s true.
They will head for plastic snacks Each and every single time. To know that and ignore the fact It should be made a crime!
For turtles choke on straws and cups, And get wrapped in plastic bags. Some of them don’t live very long Once they’ve swallowed plastic rags.
“Be careful, Mr. Turtle.” Said Kim, “Tell all of your kind, That plastic’s not for eating, So, leave the trash you find.”
Now the ocean bit was done, Up the Channel they went. They came across Emmy’s old friend, A rusty spoon named Brent.
But he was having trouble. “Quick, my friend! He cannot swim!” So, Kim she paddled after Brent, And saved his spoony skin! “Thank you so much,” gabbled Brent. “I don’t belong in water. People shouldn’t throw us in, I’m a spoon not an otter!”
Soon they reached the floodgates, And sailed into the Pond. Kim sailed towards the far off shore, The Dump was just beyond.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, A pelican appeared. The brown bird fell from the sky, Which they all thought was weird. When Kim swam up to rescue it, They all could plainly see, The plastic from a pack of cans Was stuck round both its knees!
“Not this again!” the bird said. “It’s the third time this week. And since my dad swallowed that pen, He can barely even speak!”
“Birds who hunt near water Often get caught up. It cuts their wings and legs and beaks, So don’t dump cans and cups. “
Once Kim had freed the pelican And placed him next to Emmy, They glided over to the Dump. The Pond was still and steady.
Emmy’s family were thrilled When Kim pulled up the raft. They clambered onto the small deck, They cried, they smiled, they laughed.
But as the straws were celebrating, Kim looked at the Dump. So much human waste piled up, It put her in a grump. She promised she would never throw Plastic away again. And she would tell all that she met To do the very same.
And so, they sailed home, Back to Kim’s fresh ocean shore. The straws, the spoon, and the pelican Were in trouble no more.
They partied every evening, For many, many days. And Kim was given all their love, Their thanks. Their gifts. Their praise.
After all this, as promised, Emmy helped fix the leak, So that the raft could still sail up A river, a pond, or creek.
Kim upcycled Emmy the Straw, Gave her a second purpose. She was making sure Kim’s raft Stayed always on the surface.
And as for Brent the Spoon, Kim had a job for him too. She needed a way to find out Which way the wind blew.
Kim made Brent the Spoon Into her raft’s new weathervane. So, neither Emmy, Brent, nor Kim Would get lost at sea again!
Sara Bharwani, author of Kim Saves the Ocean is from the Dutch Caribbean island of St Maarten. She has a richly diverse cultural heritage from her Sindhi diaspora background, with parents from Guyana and Malaysia, and grandparents from India, Singapore and Indonesia. She is a high school student attending Learning Unlimited Preparatory School and describes herself as a regular teenage girl with a passion for the environment. In 2017, Hurricane Irma devasted St Maarten and the aftermath cleanup resulted in a landfill that was so overburdened that it resulted in hazardous fires. The chemical filled smoke affected Sara’s health and she started her Breathe Better Air Campaign. In recognition of her efforts, Sara received the prestigious Governor’s Youth Award for Excellence in Environmental Awareness, the highest honor of its kind for youth on St. Maarten. When she’s not advocating for the environment, Sara enjoys hanging out with friends, playing with her Maltese Marshmallow, making art and memorizing the lyrics of every song known to man. She plans to win big on the gameshow “Name That Tune” someday.
You can find out more about the Breathe Better Air Campaign at www.breathebetterairsxm.com and follow along with Sara’s activities on Facebook @breathebetterairsxm
Come and join Kim on her adventure through the island of St. Martin
In this delightful, yet poignant tale, Kim and her little straw friend, Emmy, decide to clean up the ocean plastic that is slowly disrupting the ecosystem around the beautiful island of St. Martin. It’s an eco-adventure with a very important message in which Kim and Emmy make friends with ocean wildlife struggling to survive and together help to create a new future for everyone. It’s exquisitely illustrated and a wonderful read and captures the magnificent beauty of St. Martin in all its glory.