In this fable-like picture book, Lalo, a sailor, meets a goldfish that is abandoned atop a pile of bulging, black plastic garbage bags on a sidewalk by the port. Striking up a conversation, Rosa confides she is “lonely in her little glass prison, day and night in dirty water,” and yearns for a better life. Lalo’s calm, measured narration relays his concerted search for a safe and clean place for his fish friend to live. Heading to a nearby park, the unnatural sight of a mother duck swimming in the pond with five plastic water bottles trailing in formation leads Rosa to suggest, “Let’s try somewhere else.” Crossing the globe, from the polar region to a tropical jungle, the duo discover there is no corner of the Earth left unsullied by plastic water bottles.

Pairing understated text with satiric line drawings saturated with superfluous water bottles, Yayo (pen name of Colombian-born, Montreal-based author, illustrator, and editorial cartoonist Diego Herrera) highlights the serious ecological and societal harm caused by single-use containers: hungry polar bears fish out plastic bottles and caps from an ice hole; water bottles are stuck in a hippo’s mouth like ridiculous false teeth; sightseeing tourists are shuttled along the Seine in a massive water bottle–shaped vessel. In a memorable double-page spread, Lalo rows a small boat upon what appears to be waves of blue, a closer look revealing a pointillist sea of disposable bottles. Yayo uses humour to encourage readers to see the big picture.

The clever visuals also make a pointed jab at the absurdity of shallow consumer trends. In a wordless scene, Lalo and Rosa stand witness in a parking lot as adults in a shopping frenzy cram grocery carts and cars with cases of bottled water. Even a child struggles to push a super-sized jug in a baby stroller, while plastic litter rolls about higgledy-piggledy.   

Pondering a crucial question – “What can I do?” – Lalo, aided by his animal pals and a garden gnome with a green thumb, takes steps toward cleaning up the bottle mess, finds the perfect place for Rosa, and makes the personal decision to drink tap water from a glass when thirsty.

SOS Water draws needed attention to the far-reaching environmental impacts of single-use plastic bottles and is a crystal-clear clarion call to action.