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Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that can make a big difference.

Whether it’s a fun campaign, a bid for better representation or an attempt to be more sustainable, children have played their part in bringing about varying degrees of change.

����ý Bitesize takes a look at some children who wrote letters to try to make change happen.

You're the real gift, kid

We may not talk about Bruno, but we definitely can talk about Lowri.

The 12-year-old from Nottinghamshire wrote a letter when she was nine to Disney asking them to include more characters who wear glasses in their films.

Lowri wrote to them because she was the only spectacle wearer in her family and felt alone. Her letter made its way to Encanto director Jared Bush – with production on the film, including its lead character Mirabel, who wears glasses – already underway.

Bush was unable to share the details with Lowri before the film's release, but later spoke to her on ����ý Radio Nottingham to praise her bravery.

He told her that “putting yourself out there wanting to see characters that represent you, represent other people wearing glasses is a really, really important thing.”

Lowri has since written a book about a princess who wears glasses and has become an ambassador for a sight charity. She was also invited to attend the 2022 Bafta ceremony with Bush – where Encanto won best animated film.

Plastic not-so-fantastic

If you want to make a change, sometimes you have to go to the very top. That’s exactly what seven-year-old Callum did.

In March 2022, the West Lothian schoolboy became the youngest person to ever present a petition to the Scottish parliament with his campaign to remove plastic bottles from schools.

Callum initially wrote to his headmaster because he was concerned that pupils were regularly given single-use water bottles in school. He wanted to raise money to replace them with reusable metal ones to protect people and animals from the effects of plastic littering.

He completed the John Muir Way walk – a coast-to-coast 134 mile (215km) route, raising over £1,400. That was enough to buy every pupil at his school a bottle as well as some of the teachers.

But Callum didn't stop there. He took his campaign to 2021’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, before being invited to speak to Scottish MPs at Holyrood. He also met with the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – with the schoolboy receiving broad, cross-party support for his efforts.

In the brick of time

Children often play games that see them taking on job roles, such as being a chef, a doctor or a police officer – with role play an important part in developing an imagination.

These games are also often played with other toys, but one little girl in the United States felt she was being excluded from the world of building blocks.

In 2014, then seven-year-old Charlotte loved playing with Lego – but on a trip to a local toy shop, was dismayed to see that none of the female characters available to purchase represented careers.

The female figures went shopping or to the beach while the male characters, according to Charlotte, had jobs, went on adventures and even swam with sharks.

Charlotte wrote to Lego asking them to make more girl characters and to allow them to go on adventures and have fun.

The letter went viral – and Lego responded to say that they had introduced new female role models. Later that year, a new kit featuring female scientists went on sale following suggestions by the public.

The giraffe who came to tea

Some letter campaigns aren’t designed to change the world – but they still capture people’s hearts.

Three-year-old Lily contacted Sainsbury's in 2011 to ask why tiger bread was called tiger bread – believing the pattern on its crust looked much more like a giraffe.

Tiger bread is believed to have originated in the Netherlands. As part of the bread baking process the surface of the dough is painted with rice paste before it goes in the oven. The paste dries and cracks creating the pattern.

Sainsbury’s replied to Lily letting her know that the loaf got its name because the original bakers thought it looked like a tiger’s stripes – but that they agreed it looked much more like a giraffe.

After Lily’s letter and the response from the supermarket chain went viral, they announced they were changing the name to giraffe bread in 2012.

This article was published in April 2022