by inspiring the kids who’ll inherit it
We want to change the world…
Kids And Planet
Our Books
Explore our collection of adventures for children to learn about other kids at risk
At the heart of our work is the Kids and Planet series. Each title follows a young character through a real, researched, sometimes frightening situation in places like Uganda, the Sundarbans, the Blackfeet reservation, the Myanmar/Thailand border, and the Austin streets where some kids carry their belongings in their hands. We write books about the children we have traveled to meet — whose stories deserve telling — and maybe even more for the children growing up in security, to plant seeds of empathy for a harvest of kindness. All of these children hold the future in hands and hearts that will shape the world they inherit.
Ranjit lives in The Beautiful Forest, and he is happy to face its adventures until one day, when he barely escapes a Bengal Tiger, he realizes that the world of books beyond offers a bigger dream for tomorrow with much better odds.
Through artful illustrations and captivating storytelling, children will be transported to the Sundarbans while learning about a culture different from their own. This book not only entertains but also inspires empathy and understanding for children living in challenging circumstances around the world.
A special feature of this book is the QR code that links readers to a donation page where children can contribute as little as $1 to help children like Ranjit. This unique interactive element helps instill a pattern of generosity in young readers.
"My Tiny Tiger" is the second book in the Kids and Planet series from Oceanbags Foundation, following the adventures begun in "Good to Go." Each book in this series is carefully researched to provide authentic cultural insights while inspiring children to develop hearts of giving toward fellow humans, creatures, and our planet.
Good to Go is a story that inspires readers of all ages to see the world honestly, even if they look no farther than next door. Told in the spirit of mischievous adventure with a healthy touch of compassion, Gilly-Ann Graham shifts the focus of her day from the old boots she’s determined to replace to the needs of those she encounters. Without saying a word, Momsy guides Gilly-Ann to leave her next-door neighbor, a misplaced baby bird, and a young girl who is ill, each better than Gilly finds them. In stunning illustrations and lyrical, loving words, this book invites readers to recognize and choose each best step so that at the end of the day, we can all be Good to Go… on to the next adventure. This book is the first in the Kids and Planet series, stories that inspire a life pattern in children of giving to others.
Every girl in the village is afraid to make the long walk for water except Harriet. Sassy Shillah makes fun because she is jealous. “What makes you so much, Harriet Opio Madi? You are not as strong as a gorilla!”
But Harriet proves her courage when she faces the mean bush pig to get the water her family must have to live. Then one day, when Harriet discovers a little something, and, for the first time in her life, she is terrified. Sometimes we find our biggest fear in the tiniest places.
Cosmos is an average, ordinary, typical, regular, run-of-the-mill boy. He has a mom and a dad and a twin sister named Celeste who always talks at the best part of every cartoon. He has a good appetite and a never-ending love for anything that ends in “saurus.” The only unusual thing about this boy is what he doesn’t have—a home, at least not a regular one. For now, Cosmos lives in the underpass beneath I-35… until the day he saves a pup on the highway. From that moment, this bat-eared dog, his mom’s love and his dad’s irrepressible imagination lead Cosmos and his sister into a horizon of hope as wide as the starry sky.
Our Bags
Our bags make a difference, while also looking great and lasting a lifetime
Out of the same conviction that built the books, we make the bags. Every backpack repurposes 30 one-liter bottles of plastic recovered before they reached the sea. For every backpack purchased, we give one to a child at risk somewhere in the world. And for every backpack given, we plant two mangrove trees — because the same coastlines the plastic threatens are the same ones that need replanting.
Impact
A Note From Mark and Toni
Our vision: change the world by inspiring the kids who'll inherit it. Told through books that teach generosity and bags that turn waste into dignity.
Hi everyone,
Mark, Toni, and Zane here. We're "retired" (well, two of us are), and in 2023 we founded the Oceanbags Foundation for one simple reason: plastic bottles into backpacks, backpacks into the hands of kids who need them. That's the work.
We travel — on our own dime — to the places where the need is real, and we partner with teachers, relief workers, and local organizations already embedded and trusted there. We don't parachute in with cameras and press releases. We show up, deliver, listen, and try to amplify what people are already doing. They're the heroes; we're the supply line.
There are two threads to what we do, and they belong on the same cover. One is bags: each is made from certified Ocean Bound Plastic™ — about 26 bottles pulled from the environment — and built to take a beating, because life in a refugee camp or a foster system is hard. For a child who has almost nothing, that's practical dignity. The other is books: stories about kids at risk written to inform and spark generosity in kids who have plenty. We write so that a child under your roof can meet a child in a camp. Different kids, different “worlds” — and generosity is the thread that ties them together.
We're a small outfit. No overhead staff, no fundraising salaries, no offices — what comes in goes to the work and getting it to kids.
There are four ways to walk with us, and every one of them counts:
Buy a bag — then we send one to a child in crisis, and plant a mangrove tree.
Buy our books — to meet the kids the world-over and ignite generosity.
Donate — about $25 sends a backpack, fully delivered to a kid in crisis.
Follow along — share what we're doing, and stay close.
If that kind of tangible, boots-on-the-ground work matters to you, we'd be honored to have you with us.
Warmly, Mark, Toni & Zane
Let’s Work Together
Want to get in touch with our team or receive the team newsletter? Contact us here!
