Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Here Comes the Garbage Barge!
Written by Jonah Winter & Illustrated by Red Nose Studio
Age Level: 4-8 Years
Published February 9, 2010

Waste not, want not.

Back in 1987, Islip, New York had a problem: garbage. The small town on Long Island, just East of New York City, was producing nearly double the amount of garbage as the average American on a daily basis. The problem was disgusting - and expensive. So the city formed an agreement to ship their garbage to the South, where farmers would bury it on their farms. Understandably, the plan was met with local resistance, and in a PR nightmare, 3,168 tons of Islip’s garbage ended up floating for six months and over six thousand miles before finally being dealt with.

“Three thousand one hundred sixty-eight tons of garbage was unloaded by cranes, put onto trucks, and hauled to the incinerator. When it was done, it only weighed . . . 430 tons.”

This is a fabulously told story that earned recognition from the Junior Library Guild and the New York Times Book Review, which gave it a Best Illustrated award. The illustrations are totally unique because the artist sculpted characters out of clay, built sets, and then took photographs to create every scene in the book. In the spirit of resourcefulness, he used garbage that he had at home or found on the street, and tried to repurpose things he already owned as much as possible. (As a fun bonus, the inside of the book’s dust jacket outlines the illustration process.) After finishing, you and your children will feel compelled to be more mindful about the amount of waste you create, and how you might be able to (re)use it.