General Waste by Michel Streich

When you pick up this book don't rush to open it. Spend a little time - stretch out the cover; touch the cover (it is embossed) and then stop and think about the meanings of the title. Now turn to the hectic end papers which are filled with - yes waste! Can you and your young reading companion or library group identify some of these objects - I see a toaster, clothing, toys, a hair dryer, plants, a stapler, a flower vase, a trombone, a bucket, several pots and pans, a toy dinosaur (at least I hope it's a toy), a arrow, a fish, chicken drumsticks, a spade, an electric toothbrush, a golf club, pliers, assorted cutlery, and so much more.

Turn the page to meet the man himself - General Waste. 

"He had a different toothbrush for every day of the week, six hairdryers, (and) his house was filled with a myriad of machines, power tools, widgets and contraptions. There were so many he could hardly remember what they were used for."

"Every day, General Waste took a very long shower, just for fun. He called it the 'hour of shower'."

General Waste lives on the top floor of the house - meanwhile on the bottom floor we meet Gram-Gram and she lives an opposite life.

"Gram-Gram saved every morsel of food, and she carefully stored leftovers in the fridge. She had a pantry ... filled with preserved vegetables, meats and fruits."

Gram-Gram rides her bicycle everywhere and she carefully mends her well worn clothes so they can last a lot longer.

An astute reader will know something has to happen - especially when we see the enormous pile of packaging in the yard and even more when General Waste himself is burried in all those boxes and packets. 

Luckily Gram-Gram is sensible, brave, and resourceful. She rescues the silly little man and then sets about showing him other ways of living. How to repair broken stuff, how to make new things from old stuff, how to cook, how to create, and how to grow a productive garden filled with food to share.

This book is didactic but it is also funny and wise and the illustrations are so lively. I think a class could find a lot to talk about on topics like consumerism, pollution, waste disposal, environmental action, packaging, and so on. 

Bookseller blurb: General Waste loves stuff! Wasting lots of stuff! He tosses away apples after one bite, he has hour-long showers, he must have the latest uniform fashion, and he rides around in a monster truck! He shares a house with Gram-Gram. She always saves her leftovers, does her own repairs and cycles everywhere! One day, when General Waste finds himself trapped under a mountain of his own stuff, Gram-Gram comes to the rescue ... General Waste is a hilarious tale about how to find joy in the simple things in life.

I picked up this book because I loved a precious book by Michel Streich. I also talked about The worst dog in the world.

Scary Bird

About Michel: I was born in the Westphalia region of Germany, where I grew up and studied visual communication and graphic design, specializing in illustration. After graduating, I moved to London and started my career as a freelance illustrator. Three years later, in 2000, I relocated to Australia, first basing myself in Sydney, and now in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney.

The Great Stink by Colleen Paeff illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

I have decided I am not very good at asking questions. I need to be way more curious. I have been to London several times but it never occurred to me to ask about or research the word embankment. More about that in a moment.

This book begins in 1500. In London at this time sewers carry rainwater to rivers so the city won't flood. Poop or poo and pee go into deep holes called cesspools. When these become full it is time to hire nightsoil men who sell the poo (poop) to farmers as a fertilizer. Jump forward to 1819 and people are installing flush toilets. Some people connect their toilets directly to the sewer and so pee and poo now end up in the river!

The first epidemic of cholera hits London in 1832 and 6,563 people die. Problem is no one makes the connection between this catastrophe and the sewerage going into the river. The government believe the cause is in the air in pockets called miasmas. Oh no - now they order people to send their waste straight into the Thames. AND people are drinking this water too. Another cholera outbreak and 14,137 people are dead. 

Meanwhile a young man called Joseph Bazalgette takes on the job of mapping the sewers of London.

"The sewers are a disorganized, haphazard, higgledy-piggledy mess."

Finally, the authorities call for help - they need a civil engineer. Joseph is the chief engineer. He designs a system of gigantic sewer pipes which will move the sewerage out to the ocean. The debate continues into 1856. This scheme will be very expensive - too expensive. By 1858 the city is almost unlivable. The hot sun of summer adds to the stench - it is now the Great Stink! Finally, the parliament give approval for the building of the huge pipes.

"It is almost impossible for Joseph to find open space where he can build new sewer pipes without causing roadblocks, traffic and major headaches for Londoners. So in some areas he creates man-made riverbanks called embankments."

The final pages of this splendid book talk about the situation in our world today with the disposal of sewerage and also list alternate schemes. There is also a detailed timeline, further reading list and bibliography. 

Read a very detailed interview with Seven Impossible Things featuring Colleen Paeff and Nancy Carpenter. Colleen Paeff has other links on her web page. Here is a set of detailed teachers notes with science experiments. In this blog post Mr Schu talks to Colleen Paeff. 

This informative exploration of London’s sanitation history will delight nonfiction fans interested in history, ecology, biography, and more. Kirkus Star review

Back to embankments. You can read more here and here The story of London's embankment. 

As a part of their science or geography topic our Grade four students used to investigate waste disposal systems. I am not sure if this is still the case but I used to read quite a few books (some were very funny) about poo.

Here are a couple of videos you could use with a primary class:

Where does the water go? - Sewerage treatment Melbourne

How Do Sewer Systems Work?

A brief history of toilets TED (High School level)

Awards for The Great Stink:

• 2022 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, Association for Library Services to Children
• 2022 Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction Text for Young Readers, SCBWI
• 2022 Cook Prize Honor Book, Bank Street College of Education
• 2022 Notable Book, American Library Association
• 2022 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, Children’s Book Council
• 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Gem, Texas Library Association
• 2022 Best STEM Books K-12, National Science Teaching Association
• 2021 Best Informational Books for Younger Readers, Chicago Public Library
• Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

Blurb from Bookwagon: The Wild Robot Protects concludes the wonderful series by Peter brown.  Roz the robot has made a welcome home for herself on an idyllic island dense with forests, animals and wildflowers.  She is at the centre of an island community with friendly animal inhabitants – including her own young son Brightbill the gosling. Life on the island however is under threat from the Poison Tide, first reported by a dying seal washed ashore.  He warns of dangerous, cloudy waters that are flowing towards the island, bringing new dangers for the animals.   Forced inland, the community will have no choice but to fight over scarce resources. Roz embarks on a perilous and incredible journey across the seas, aiming to protect her beloved island and all who live on it.  Along the way, she makes friends of a host of amazing sea creatures who provide inspiration but also vital information about the source of the poison tide….

Begin with this interview (20 minutes) with Peter Brown talking to Colby Sharp for The Yarn. In this 2023 interview Peter Brown talks with Books for Keeps. And Books for Keeps also talked to Peter after the publication of the first book - The Wild Robot. 

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. Kirkus star review

This might sound strange, but I am very sad that the NSW Department of School Education have 'stolen' this text and made it the focus of one of their English units. Reading the design of the unit of work it sounds to me that any love of this first book - The Wild Robot - will be utterly crushed. I would love young readers to just find and read all three books from this series - not as part of an enforced school unit with a series of micro tasks that, to my eye, destroy any love you could have for this truly heart-warming and inventive series. At their heart these books are about relationships, the expression of emotions, the importance of forming connections with others. There is also a layer of environmental care and as humans, how we find a balance between our own survival, exploitation of the planet and the vital need for conservation of places and creatures.

I read The Wild Robot in 2018 and as I read this latest installment I wondered if it might have been good to re-read the whole series before reading this new book. The Wild Robot Protects does stand alone but I think you will enjoy this book even more if you are familiar with Ros and her island family. 

The New York Times reviewer explores the reaction of his son when he read these books:

To my son, Brown’s books were the first he discovered on his own; the first that swept him up in a lengthy, can’t-put-it-down narrative; the first to wallop him with the mix of tragedy and joy that define great art and also real life. ... The life of a wild robot, in other words, is pretty similar to the life of a kid. That’s what makes Brown’s trilogy so powerful. Readers love Roz, but they also learn from her. Even better, they learn alongside her.

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot escapes

Walk of the Whales by Nick Bland

"Excuse me, whale ... why did you leave the ocean behind to live on the land instead?"

The whales, many different kinds, walk out of the ocean. At first the towns people are, mostly, delighted but things start to go horribly wrong and something needs to be done. STOP - there must be a reason why the whales have moved onto the land. Thank goodness one child asks this all important question.

Walk of the whales is told in rhyme which is a very difficult form but one which many new authors try to employ. Nick Bland understands the form and he makes it work with his story so well.

Walk of the Whales was entered in our CBCA Book of the Year awards (Early Childhood) and it was a notable title, a short listed title and an honour book. I would share this book with children aged 8+ which oddly is beyond the age for the CBCA Early Childhood judging which is listed as 0-6. Here is a video where Nick talks about his book. If you have a Storybox library subscription you can hear/see this book read by Tamala Shelton. See inside this book and read more about the story at Paperbark Words.

Nick Bland has delivered a beautifully crafted, original, and thought-provoking story about ocean pollution with imagination, truth, and humour.  The serious subject of waste building up in our oceans has been cleverly tackled by this simple story as it seeks to explain to this young audience how humanity, and our lifestyle, have affected the natural world. Reading Time

The judges said: The magic and mystery of childhood imaginings are combined with the grand possibilities of illustrations, and a profound message about humanity’s interconnection with the planet. This weighty message is handled with a delicate touch, rhythmic text and a balance of imagination, humour and truth. There is a touching moment when a child queries the situation and the emotion in the whale’s blunt reply is beautifully framed by the tear in its eye. Less about pollution, this is a book about possibilities: the exchange of rubbish for the whales foregrounds the principle that for every action in nature, there is a consequence and there is always a fresh story and connection to discover.

Things to discuss/notice

• Visual jokes - "Presenting Whale Lake"  ballet
• The role of the mass media 
• Phrases - "Up and downs"
• Types of whales in the illustrations (spend some time on the title page)
• Themes of protest, disruption.
• Link this book to The emperor's New clothes - it is a child who sees the truth
• Research Greta Thunberg - why did Nick Bland call his character Freda?
• Listen to some whale songs
• Why are people now growing plankton? What is plankton? Which whales eat this?
• Discuss the concepts of opportunism andconsumerism
• Problem and solution - what might have happened if the protest movement in the town turned violent?

Design features I appreciate in this book include the debossed title, the full page illustrations which convey the enormity of this ocean creature, the small 'jokes' in the illustrations such as the little dog who is tied to the park bench and the skateboarder who has his board stuck in huge cracks in the road, and the farm scene with a 'no whales' sign. There is also a very poignant moment in this book where we see a tear falling from the eye of a whale.

Most Australian children are sure to have seen this book during or in the lead up to our Australian children's book week but I do hope this book will reach an international audience too. 

I would pair this book with:

Whale in a Fishbowl

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem

It is good to see Nick Bland has written a serious book. The message is important he has maintained a light touch so this is a book that will appeal to children and adults. Here are a few of his well known titles:

The Very Brave Bear

Nick Bland first came to my attention with these books:

King Pig

The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend

"Wherever there is sickness, there is rumour ... but I am here to tell you the scientific truth of the matter. This sickness is not brought about by witchcraft or sin. No. This sickness has come from a place of disease and pestilence. It has come from the wild. ... We must be rid of it. ... The plants, the weeds, the swamp, the forest, the wild gardens. Disease lurks among the plants and the wild things, breeding mosquitoes and poisons."

Orla lives alone outside the village of Thorn Creek. Orla feels like an outsider because her healer mother is now dead and the people of the village seem to treat her with hostility and suspicion. Orla does have one friend - her horse called Captain and she also has the constant company of the plants, flowers and herbs in her garden. Orla can hear the plants talking and they often give her wise advice.

Life is not perfect, it is hard, but as the story opens it is clear things are about to become much worse perhaps even life threatening. Orla notices black marks are appearing on the leaves of her plants. Then a young boy from the village asks Orla for help. Idris's brother Castor is desperately ill. When Orla lifts his sleeve she sees the same purple marks that appeared on her mothers arms. Orla was unable to save her precious Ma. She is sure she cannot help Castor. 

Thorn Creek is governed over by a wealthy ink-manufacturing family, whose head is Inishowen Atlas, Warden and resident of Hind House. He is often absent but on this dreadful day he arrives on his horse and declares a sickness is coming. With the voice of authority he tells the village that their plants are to blame. He orders everyone to destroy every plant in the village. Orla knows the plants are not the source of the sickness and she also knows the people will starve because there will be nothing left to eat.

Ma has left Orla her book of remedies. At the front of the book there is a very detailed map and on the map there is a tiny circle around a distant place called Fleetwater. Beside the circle in very faint writing Ma had written the word 'here'. Orla decides to stow away on a Hauler boat but she has no idea Idris and Ariana, the niece of the tyrant Atlas, are going to join her. Nor does she have any idea about the horrible scene that awaits her when she finally, after an utterly terrifying journey, reaches the place on her mother's map.

Each chapter in this book is prefaced with a herb, its scientific name and uses. I really enjoyed reading these. Some will be familiar while have such interesting names: Lady's Mantle (a sprig under the pillow aids sleep); Devil's Rope (very dangerous, fatal if it enters your blood); Viper's Bugloss (an infusion of the seeds can drive away melancholy).

I loved the world of this book, the strength of each character, the wisdom and warnings of the plants, the personal growth of Orla, and the powerful atmosphere created by debut author Yarrow Townsend. One other delightful discovery (it's a minor point but so heartwarming) comes from a discovery about character of Idris. He is very skilled with needle and thread. When Orla's sleeve is torn he says:

"Let me fix the tear in your coat sleeve while you and Ariana paddle ... it's annoying me like nobody's business'. He held out his hand and motioned for Orla to pass him the coat. ... 'Fine,' she said ... but mind you do it properly."

Here is a wonderful description of Orla:

"Twelve-year-old Orla had dark-brown hair, bramble scratched hands, and a determined frown. She wore a pair of boy's breeches that she never changed, an oilskin coat that smelled of beeswax, and a pair of thick leather boots."

Yarrow Townsend build a chilling, atmospheric world, highlighting the damage those with wealth and power cause in their search for more wealth and power. Miss Clevelands Reading

The Map of Leaves is exquisitely written and brilliantly original. The descriptions of the natural world and rich and immersive, and the book is underpinned by a real reverence for nature. Get Kids into Books

I have been in a slight reading slump lately. I am ploughing through a long fantasy book and I only seem able to read 3 or 4 pages at a time. With nearly 400 pages I seem to be taking way too long to finish the book. So last night I picked up a different book - this one. I read The Map of Leaves in one sitting. YES this book is fabulous. I found it at the Westmead Children's Hospital Book Bunker where I work as a volunteer. The Map of Leaves was published by Chicken House in 2022. I flew through all 300+ pages.  I do hope you can find this book - and that I have convinced you to read it!  Take a look at this review which has lots of text quotes. You can read sample pages from this book here. 

I read a review that suggested this book as a companion read. I have added this title to my enormous "to read" list:

Bird's eye view by Frann Preston-Gannon

I first discovered the art of Frann Preston-Gannon in the scrumptious book I am the Seed that Grew the Tree - a nature poem for every day of the year.  When I saw this picture book - Bird's eye view - I was sure it would be equally wonderful - and yes it is!

Beginning with the front end paper - you will see an actual bird's eye view which links perfectly with the title. Turning to the title page you will see an egg in a nest - it is about to hatch. Then turn into the story, some time has passed and now Little Bird asks an important question about the world she can see the nest:

"What is beyond the treetops?' she asked her mama. 'Well child ... ' Mama said. 'People live there. My own mother told me to stay away from them and so I did.' 'But what are people?' asked Little Bird. Mama didn't know."

Little Bird is curious and so one day she sets off to see the world. What will she see? Who will she meet? Can she make sense of the activities of the people she spies from above?

Bird’s Eye View offers luxuriant, glorious, emerald colours across rich and empathetic landscapes. However, it also allows us to consider our planet and take in the differences within humanity also. BookWagon

Bird's Eye View is a book you should share with older students when you are discussing book design and the best way to illustrate a book. This book would also be ideal for new illustrators as a way to explore noting Frann's use of colour; whole page illustrations; full spread illustrations; small framed illustrations; perfectly paced page turns; text placement; and use of white space. I was not surprised to discover in 2011 Frann became the first UK recipient of the 'Sendak Fellowship' and spent a month living with and learning from, Maurice Sendak. Take a look here to see inside this book. You could also use this book as a part of a mapping unit with younger students. 

I would pair this book with:

Little Home Bird

Once upon a Small Rhinoceros

Wendy

Ghostcloud by Michael Mann

The evil Tabatha Margate rules the Battersea power station using a mixture of fear, severe punishments and frightening threats. Hundreds of children are suffering in this horrible underground environment where they work long hours shovelling coal into huge burners. It is incredibly dangerous work.  This is a debut novel from Michael Mann and he is sure to make you feel every cruel moment.

"There was a squeal of pain down the line, then the sizzle of hot ash on naked skin. A solitary sob echoed through the hall."

"The front line kids have to throw coal in the fire with their bare hands. The flames jump out and burn off their fingernails.  One kid lost an eye the other day."

The London of this dystopian world is covered in a dangerous smog. Children are regularly kidnapped to work for Tabatha. Areas of the city are now either uninhabitable or filled with make-shift shelters and people living in poverty. The tunnel between England and France is blocked. Meanwhile rich people ride around in vehicles with smog-sealed doors. 

Naturally Luke and his mate Ravi are desperate to get out of this place. There is a system where the children can earn a golden ticket and so that is their goal until the night Luke meets a ghostcloud named Alma. Backing up a little, Luke is working at his shovelling when Tabatha arrives. There is a new girl on the line called Jess. It is clear she has no idea how to shovel and so everyone on this line will be punished and worse still it will take longer to earn that golden ticket. Luke leaps the line to rescue Jess but everything goes terribly wrong and so Luke and Jess are sent to clean the sewer in the East Wing as a punishment. After several fairly fruitless hours of cleaning this utterly filthy place, using strips of their own clothing, Luke suggests Jess take a nap. At this point he discovers a girl trapped behind the glass wall of the incinerator. He is able to rescue her and then he discovers she is a ghostcloud and better yet Luke himself has ghostly abilities too. 

Now the race is on to reach freedom but of course this is not simple. Freedom will also come with a cost because Tabatha certainly won't let these children go free. She will hunt them down. So who is this woman called Tabatha? Why is she using the children in this way? what is she hiding in her laboratory? Where does this smog come from? And can Luke stay safe when the skies are filled with ghouls?

I suggest readers in Australia may need a map of London to make sense of all the places mentioned in this story but don't let that stop you grabbing hold of this book - I think all the damaged and altered landmarks in London just add to the dystopian flavour. I recommend this book for readers aged 10+.

Ghostcloud has odd pricing. The hardcover was released on 7th October and is priced over $30 here in Australia. Some sellers list the paperback (due at the end of October) for under $20 while others have it listed over $25. Whatever the price I would add this book to your own or library shopping list. 

I would pair this book with The Wonderling by Mira Bartok.  This is a book that many of you may have missed reading but can I suggest you hunt it out (soon) because it is splendid. 

And you are also sure to enjoy The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum. 

Tabatha and her evil ways and her obsessive drive for power reminded me of these book characters

Matilda by Roald Dahl - Miss Trunchbull

The Girl who could fly by Victoria Forester - Dr Hellion

The Unadoptables by Hanna Tooke  - Matron Gassbeek

Beetle Boy by MG Leonard - Lucretia Cutter

The Lost Children by Carolyn Cohagan - The Master

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars by Janeen Brian - Sister Hortense

The Tale of the Whale by Karen Swann illustrated by Padmacandra

 

When you open this book you will see a lighthouse on the title page. You may already know I adore lighthouses of course this book is not really about lighthouses but this is where the story begins and perhaps where the small child lives. 

"Where land becomes sky and the sky becomes sea, I first saw the whale ... and the whale first saw me."

The whale invites the child to come on a journey. The pair have a glorious time diving deep into the ocean and exploring icy land until the whale shows the child the ocean is filled with our waste.

"I stared at the whale as he stared back at me - I understood now what he'd brought me to see."

Now that the child has seen the problems we have created is it time for action. 

"I gazed in his eyes as I stood on the sand, and I made him a promise to tell the whole land the tale of the whale and the plastic soup sea - you've heard the whale's story please change it with me."

I had not heard of the illustrator Padmacandra. On her site there is an extended video where the author and illustrator talk about their book.  Padmacandra grew up in Scotland, lives in Norfolk and graduated from the Cambridge School of Art. She is a Buddhist, poet and artist and currently works part-time as a carer. (UQP). The tale of the Whale is a debut picture book for Karen Swann. She lives in the UK. This book is due for release on 4th May this year. Karen has lots of craft ideas to use with this book.

Here are a set of teachers notes from UQP. This book has beautiful illustrations, a carefully constructed rhyming text which will work well as a read aloud along with an important and urgent message for all of us. There are some lovely words in this text: rocking-horse sea; dolphins that waltzed; carpets of colours; and the soup of the ocean.

This is the debut picture book for both author and illustrator and it’s one where words and pictures work in perfect harmony.  Redreadinghub

This book would be an excellent text to share with young children as part of a topic on care of our environment and environmental activism. I would pair this book with these:

Here are three collections of titles from my friend at Kinderbookswithevery thing

Sustainability

Climate Change for young children

Must have books about the Environment

Seagull by Danny Snell

There are three things that came to mind when I read this book today.  Actually it only arrived today.  My school is located beside the sea and seagulls are a common sight for the children I see each week. Books with a repeated refrain have a special kind of read-aloud magic and while Seagull does have an important environmental message but it does not feel too didactic.

The seagull is caught in some discarded fishing line.  The more she struggles the worse she becomes tangled.  Seagull enlists the help of others - a mullet, a pelican and a crab.  Each tries but can only loosen it a little.  Then comes the important turning point :

"Soon Seagull was too exhausted to move any further.  She nestled in among some tall grass at the edge of the dunes and closed her eyes. The setting sun looked on. Through the half light Seagull heard footsteps."

Aside from the gentle story and lyrical language I really loved the illustrations in Seagull especially the full page which shows the pelican.

If you are exploring an environmental theme with a class of younger students make sure you add Seagull to your book collection.

Here is a set of teachers notes. You might also enjoy Samantha Seagulls Sandals by Gordon Winch and Peter's Place by Sally Grindley.