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Kelly Mrocki

Kelly Mrocki is a dedicated mother of two who has a passion for looking after the environment and all creatures great and small. Kelly is an Early Childhood Educator and runs sustainability incursions and book readings at kindergartens across Melbourne.

As part of her incursions, Kelly introduces children to many topics such as waste sorting, growing your own food and worm farms. It was in these sessions that she realised how many children were afraid of worms, or repulsed by them, screaming out ‘Ew Yuck’ from the thought alone. This inspired Kelly to write a book about the humble compost worm, hoping to educate children about the huge role they play on our Earth.

Ew Yuck is the third edition to Kelly’s collection of environmental books, following on from The Girl Who Saved The Frogs and The Boy Who Saved The Whale. In 2018 Kelly was announced the Winner of the Victorian Premiers Sustainability Awards Community category in recognition of her work within the Early Childhood sector.

When not working with children, Kelly loves spending time outdoors with her family. She has recently converted her unused front lawn into an edible garden with the addition of 3 silkie chickens to watch scratch around in the dirt looking for….. dare I say it….. worms to eat. Ew Yuck.

Aiden and Chloe
This book is dedicated to Kelly's Niece and Nephew Aiden (8 yo) and Chloe (6 yo). They are both animal lovers that could easily spend every spare moment of their day watching animals at Melbourne's 3 x Zoos. Chloes loves the elephants most of all. “I think they are so cute and I love how they wash their babies so well". Aiden's favourite animal is the penguin. I love the way they waddle, and they are a bird. I love all birds”. Aiden and Chloe have a worm farm at home and consider them all pets.

About the book

Ew Yuck

Meet Ew Yuck, the tiger worm. Now, upon meeting him, your first reaction may be “ew, yuck!” See, that’s what everyone else calls him. But if you knew how important his role is in taking care of the environment, you might change your tune. People always scream at Ew Yuck and throw him back into the garden. No wonder he feels so lonely. He doesn’t know where to go or what to do. He knows he has a vital job, but he doesn’t know what it is.

Thankfully, one day, Ew Yuck comes across a young girl named Chloe and her brother Aiden. They don’t call him Ew Yuck or yell at him; they are kind. Everything changes for this tiger worm when Chloe and Aiden introduce him to the worm farm at Grandma’s house.

Ew Yuck is the third title written and illustrated by Kelly Mrocki. Inspired by her niece and nephew, this book encourages children to recognise the value in all creatures, great and small. As a valuable resource for early childhood learning, Ew Yuck urges people of all ages to respect every living thing and support the future of our planet.

Other Titles by this Author: