Little Hector and the Big Idea

Ruth Paul

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The Nile

Mighty Ape

In his second adventure, Little Hector takes on a huge challenge - fishing nets and plastic rubbish are endangering his beautiful bay. The situation seems impossible when, suddenly, the tiny dolphin has a big idea...

Little Hector schemes to stop his bay being spoiled with bottles, bags, and dangerous tangling nets in this sparkling sequel to Little Hector and the Big Blue Whale

Little Hector’s games with his friends keep getting spoilt. When it’s not by dangling, tangling fishing nets, it’s by a mess of plastic trash. He wants to make the bay safe for all the marine creatures to play in again — but how will one little dolphin tackle such a BIG problem?

Find out what we can all do to help keep our coastal waters beautiful and safe for Little Hector and his friends in this delightful sequel to Little Hector and the Big Blue Whale by Ruth Paul, the award-winning author of I am Jellyfish.

Published: 3 September 2019
ISBN: 9780143773955
Imprint: Picture Puffin
Format: Paperback
Pages: 24
RRP: $19.99

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About the author

Ruth Paul

Ruth Paul lives in an off-grid, straw-bale house on a farm just outside Wellington, New Zealand. As well as writing and illustrating children's picture books, Ruth has worked as a costume illustrator for Peter Jackson movies. She has two teenaged sons and is actively involved in her local community, having previously chaired her local Community Board and School Board of Trustees. Over the years, Ruth achieved a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from Victoria University, a Diploma in Visual Communication Design from Wellington Polytech (now Massey University), and most of a law degree.
In 2019 she was awarded the Arts Foundation Mallinson Rendel Laureate Award, and in 2023 she was University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence Fellow.

Ruth started writing and illustrating her own picture books in 2004, and has created over 15 titles. The King's Bubbles won the NZ Post Children's Choice picture book award in 2008, and three of her books have made the Storylines Notable Book list over the years. Stomp was a finalist in the NZ Post Book Awards 2012, and Bad Dog Flash was selected for the US Kid's Indie Next List in 2014. I Am Jellyfish, a literally luminous story with its glow-in-the-dark cover, won Best Picture Book at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2018. The judges were full of praise, noting that ‘The text and illustration perfectly complement each other in this humour-filled tale of small but mighty…This is a book for all the unsung small heroes and it will be giggled over and read again and again.’

In 2019, Ruth was made an Arts Foundation Laureate, receiving the Mallinson Rendel Illustration Award.

Ruth’s books have sold in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, the UK, China and Korea, with translations in five languages. Her original picture book illustrations have contributed to touring exhibitions for Painted Stories (previously Te Tai Tamariki Trust) and two are held in the prestigious Mazza Collection at the University of Findlay, Ohio. She says every new book is a challenge and presents the opportunity to get better at the craft she wholeheartedly loves.

Also by Ruth Paul

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Praise for Little Hector and the Big Idea

How do we tell young children about the dangers of environmental degradation without scaring them silly? Ruth Paul, 2019 Arts Foundation laureate, has done it with drawings so lively they just about bounce off the page and a story about a dolphin named Little Hector who likes nothing better than to frolic with her ocean friends. It’s Little Hector’s second outing and this time, she’s tackling ocean pollution. While it may be a big problem, Paul’s story shows that small steps make the difference and young readers are given the chance to learn how they can help Little Hector clean up.
Dionne Christian and Zoe Gadd, Weekend Herald

A powerful message that enables children to feel hope about the future and also feel they can do something to make positive changes...Kids are bound to feel inspired by Little Hector and want to do their bit to help clean up their local river or beach.
Maria Gill, Kids Books NZ

[It was] popular with the young children who I read to, who have a lot of knowledge about the danger of plastic and rubbish in the water and who shared this knowledge while reading the story. What I also enjoyed was the overarching message that despite Hector being a small dolphin was that he was encouraged to think of ideas to solve this overwhelming issue and that by teaming up with others together they could make a difference. A great book to open up discussion and share knowledge about the litter in our oceans, and how we can make a difference.
Swings and Roundabouts

If you’re wanting to raise kids who not only care about the world in which they live but have some kind of kid friendly idea of what one problem is and what they could do to help, then [...] Little Hector and the Big Idea will be the perfect conversation starter!
Ronnie Swainston, Kidspot

I invited Coby my four-year-old neighbour over to share Little Hector and the Big Idea. His eyes lit up when he saw the cover as I had read him a previous Little Hector adventure story. He recognised and enjoyed naming all the colourful illustrations of different sea creatures and listened attentively.
Lyn Potter, Grownups.co.nz

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