There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom 

Author: James Sellick

This Friday, we have an exciting ASPIRE day to celebrate Endangered Species Day. This week's recommended read is perfect for animal lovers who want to be inspired to create change in the world!

Based on the Greenpeace animation that went viral at Christmas last year, James Sellick and Frann Preston-Gannon's book - with a foreword by Dame Emma Thompson - tells the tale of a little girl who discovers an orangutan in her bedroom.

She can't understand why it's so angry about her shampoo and chocolate - but then it explains that the palm oil used to make them is leading to deforestation... and destroying his home.

The palm oil that these particular trees produce is used in chocolate and shampoo among lots of other things, which is why the men are cutting down so many of them – millions of people want chocolate, cookies, toothpaste and crisps. But those trees are where the orangutans live, and orangutans are dying as a result.

The little girl takes immediate action and writes to the chocolate company and tells everyone in her school about the orangutans – and there’s a helpful section at the end about what we can all do to help the rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra.

A perfect rhyming picture book for ages 5+

If you'd like to watch the original video, here it is: There's a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom