What Happens to Our Trash?

February 1, 2012

Gr 1-3-Engaging prose and upbeat, gently humorous illustrations introduce the importance of proper trash disposal and recycling. Landfills and their usefulness are fully explained, as is the concept of reduce/reuse/recycle. Children are given ideas for composting, and a related activity page is appended. The language is clear and friendly. Cartoon pictures show enthusiastic youngsters doing their part to handle trash responsibly. Even the anthropomorphic cats and dogs are smiling and encouraging. Endpapers offer fast facts: "Disposable diapers take 500 years to decompose"; "84 percent of all household waste can be recycled," etc. Pair this book with M. J. Knight's Why Should I Recycle Garbage? (Smart Apple Media, 2008) for even more practical ideas. Perfect for classes just beginning to study environmental concerns.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Grades 1-3 This colorful book from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series tells how communities dispose of trash, points out some of the problems created, and suggests ways that children can help. After noting that Americans create more trash per person each day than people in any other country, the book explains landfills and their alternatives as well as the importance of personal choices to reduce, reuse, and recycle in order to slow the flow of trash. Given the age of the audience, the activity at the end of the book, Create Your Own Compost Pile, is ambitious and would require a good bit of help from an informed adult. A list of suggested websites is appended as well. Written mainly in short sentences, the text presents the problem clearly and organizes information logically. Meisel's colorful line-and-wash pictures find varied and imaginative ways of illustrating ideas. A useful, surprisingly upbeat introduction to trash disposal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)