The Secret in the Compost Bin by Margaret Pearce illustrated by Sharon Thompson

Jeremy and his parents have moved to a new house which should be terrific but it has cost so much money his mother and father now say no to everything - no pets and no football boots. Living next door is Jeremy's cousin Kate. She has goats, dogs, cats and even a tortoise. She offers Jeremy a tortoise egg and he puts it in the warm compost bin. Clearly this egg is not going to hatch into a tortoise. It is so very different from the other eggs. Sure enough a huge and hungry creature emerges a few days later. Jeremy and Kate name him Ulp after the noise he makes. The friends do have to keep Ulp hidden but that is not their most pressing problem. Jeremy and Kate need money and they need it urgently so they decide to offer to complete odd jobs around their neighbourhood. Washing cars, clearing gutters, mowing lawns and washing dogs these children learn a lot about making money and they discover there are some traps. One of the best scenes is when they work long and hard to wash and dry two huge shaggy pedigree dogs only to see them both roll in the mud when they take them for a walk to the park. 

Some jobs do go well but it all seems to be taking a long time to raise enough money for bike repairs and football boots. Both kids have over-looked the man next door who has offered $30 to anyone who will clear out his yard. As a reader we know about this offer but it takes until page 61 of 82 pages for the children to finally remember. Here is a quote from page 20:

"He must have years of accumulated rubbish around his house and yard. Even my dad reckons his place is a disgrace! He says Professor Fogey has offered thirty dollars to anyone who can clean it up, but nobody's game to take it on." 

Ulp is an eating machine (rather like the Iron Man in the famous book by Ted Hughes) and so it is easy to clear up the mess in a day. Now they have their money and can pay for the things they need. But what about Ulp - it is now impossible to keep him in the compost bin. Luckily there is a tip or a dump in their town and that seems to be the perfect new home for Ulp. Is he a dinosaur? Is he a giant lizard? Readers are left to make their own guess.

I really like the line drawing illustrations in this book by Sharon Thompson. I looked her up on Trove and found she illustrated a few titles that I remember having in previous school libraries - The Farmyard cat; A glassful of Giggles; and The Judas Donkey by Errol Broome. The art in The Secret in the Compost Bin reminded me of the art in Thing by Robin Klein illustrated by Alison Lester. 

The Secret in the Compost Bin is another little old out of print book I borrowed this week from a school library. It was purchased for this library in 2007 (helpfully they record date of purchase and price on all their books).  In this library they continue to use date due slips which make it easy to see how often a book is borrowed. Sadly this sweet little story has only been borrowed three times - 2008, 2014 and 2018.  The paper, as often happens with Puffin/Penguin titles has turned yellow and the print size is very small so sadly it seems this book will now be weeded.

There is an interesting link between this book - The Secret in the Compost Bin - and The Big Brass Key by Ruth Park which is the book I talked about yesterday. In both books the children have moved to a new house and in both books the children really want a pet but the parents say no - too expensive. There is nothing dated about this book from 1990 so I think it could easily be reprinted only the money or cost of things and pocket money might need updating. Actually I have made an amazing discovery. This book has been reprinted [9798215044674] with a new cover. Looks like someone (perhaps Margaret Pearce) might have paid to have the book reprinted. In any case I am not familiar with the publisher Writers Exchange. 

The way Kate and Jeremy take on so many odd jobs to raise money reminded me of Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. 

Brick by brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield

 

Mi papi es fuerte - my papi is strong. He's a bricklayer. His arms are like stone.

Each day Papi heads off to work and Luis heads off to school. Luis imagines his papi working with the bricks and mixing the mortar to build the city. When Luis sits down to enjoy his lunch papi is also eating "mama's special empanada" and he is drinking cinnamon horchata. 

Luis has a dream that one day his family will have a house of their own and perhaps he will even be allowed to have a dog. Finally one weekend, Papi tells Luis he has a surprise. Luis puts on his father's big hard hat which covers his eyes. The pair drive across the city and arrive at their new house where his mother is waiting and yes there is a new puppy too. 

"Tonight I dream in my house. Nuestra casa papa siempre - our always house."

As you can see this is partly a dual language text in English and Spanish. The illustrations are made using collage which at times seems almost tactile. This warm-hearted story of a hard working family shows that dreams can come true. When you look into the background of the illustrations you will see the important story words - build, dream, I can, hola, adios and bye. Time is marked in this story by tiny details. It clearly took time to build their new house. As the story opens there are spring flowers in their apartment window box and on the day of the surprise visit it is Halloween. 

Publisher blurb: Papi is a bricklayer, and he works hard every day to help build the city, brick by brick. His son, Luis, works hard too–in school, book by book. Papi climbs scaffolds, makes mortar, and shovels sand. Luis climbs on the playground and molds clay into tiny bricks to make buildings, just like Papi. Together, they dream big about their future as they work to make those dreams come true. And then one Saturday, Papi surprises Luis with something special he’s built for their family, brick by brick.

When I see the words "Nancy Paulsen Books" on the cover or in-print information on a book I always anticipate a book of the highest quality and as you can see this book is an Ezra Jack Keats award winner (2021) too. In this video Heidi reads her book. Here is an interview with Heidi. Here is one quote:

Picture books are like haikus, in their brevity but also in their condensed meaning. They are the perfect marriage of words and images. I believe picture books are for all ages. There’s an initial simplicity that gives way to nuance, and a boiling down of word and picture that leads to a beautiful richness.

Take a look at the extensive Pinterest of Construction books collected by my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything. Here are some companion reads:

Mabel and Sam at Home by Linda Urban illustrated by Hadley Hooper

Tomorrow said Mabel, we will all explore and be bold. 

Tomorrow we will be even bolder than we are today.

This book combines some of my favourite story elements - imaginative play, cardboard boxes, sibling relationships and perfect illustrations.  This is a book I would love to see in all school libraries.

The children have moved into a new house. This is perfectly described by Linda Urban:

"There were chairs where chairs did not go and sofas where sofas could not stay."

In the midst of the chaos Mabel and her brother Sam find safety inside a large cardboard packing box which instantly becomes a ship sailing on a sea of blue carpet. Mabel patiently explains the ways of the sea to Sam.

"Ahoy!,' said Captain Mabel. 'Welcome aboard the Handle with Care. I am the captain.' 'And I am Ahoy,' said Ahoy. 'You're not Ahoy. Ahoy means hello. You are First Mate Sam."

The pair get to work swabbing the deck, hoisting the sails, riding wild waves and fishing for halibut. In the distance they see an island but Captain Mabel is sure the distant land is full of dangers. They sail on and things slow down, even the fish stop biting, until they see another land. The inhabitants are eating pizza so Captain Mabel agrees they can go ashore.

There are three 'chapters' in this longer format picture book. Each features a different set of colours. In the second section Mabel realises Sam needs a tour of the new home rather like visitors to the museum. She explains about the need for quiet, the importance of artifacts and the rule of no touching. The best thing they find at the museum is a frosted pitty-pat which Sam quietly licks.

I think the frosted pitty-pat is a lovely idea and perhaps they look like this. You could make some after your visit to the museum with Mabel and Sam.

As night falls the pair become astronauts. When things become really dark their mum plugs in the moon. I love the way the parents join the imaginative play at this point, becoming astronaut parents and even allowing Mr Woofie (the dog) to snuggle under the stars. Have you worked out why the boat is named 'Handle with Care'?

I would pair this book with Clancy and Millie and the very fine house by Libby Gleeson, Miss Mae's Saturday and On Sudden Hill.  If you want to explore another book series about brothers and sisters take a look at Annie and Simon.  Here is a conversation with the author. Linda Urban lives in Vermont and Hadley Hooper lives in Denver.

Each chapter is built around a color (navy, yellow, and gray-green, respectively) and mixes fully rendered characters with impressionistic settings and dappled textures, resulting in pages that brim with reassuring humor and lovely graphic nuances. Publisher's Weekly

Hooper’s retro, textured illustrations, rendered via printmaking techniques, expertly capture the joyous dynamics of imaginative sibling play in this lengthy story. (I love this longer text in a day where minimalist picture book texts dominate.) Mabel and Sam are so endearing; maybe we readers will be lucky enough to see them in a sequel. Julie Danielson Book Page 

It is a perfect balance between imaginary and real, bringing you along in their made-up worlds, while somehow giving enough verbal clues to keep you grounded at the same time. It’s not confusing and has excellent bits of comical kid terminology and conversation to make you laugh. Mabel and Sam are believable, adorable, precocious, and charming characters. Three Books a Night