Ruby loves to repair things and her family have a repair store. People bring broken toasters, kettles, radios, guitars, crockery and more. Things do not need to be thrown away - they can be repaired. BUT a new store opens right next door. It is the BIGG Department store. Over time (this is not shown in the story) everyone changes their shopping habits and eventually (we know this took some months not just one day) the Repair Cafe is forced to close down. Everyone wants new shiny things but in an interesting twist or perhaps an expected consquence, the town dump begins to fill up with "broken bits, old clothes and random rubbish. The stinky smell wafted on the wind."
One night there is a huge storm. The roof blows off the BIGG Department store and most of his stock is ruined. Luckily Ruby is a girl who loves to solve problems and she is an expert at repairs!
The end papers in this book are perfect. Here are some very simple teachers notes - I am sure you could think of deeper questions for your class. My only tiny quibble with this book comes from disparity between the important environmental sustainability message in this story and the use of children to run the repair shop and children who help restore the shops after the storm. Ruby is a child perhaps aged around ten and Mr Bigg is a young adult or a young man aged around twenty. We do see Ruby's parents and grandparents in their repair store but Ruby herself seems to be the main worker?
This book will be a good addition to your library or classroom because it will generate some terrific discussions about our disposable society, the role of garbage dumps, urban renewal, town planning, small suburban shopping strips, and community co-operation. There is also a layer here of the big corporation versus the small local business. ALL of that in a book aimed at readers aged 7+ - I hope you are amazed. Here is the website for the illustrator Zoe Bennett. You can see other books by Michelle Worthington here. Many years ago, two of her books were CBCA Notable titles (Glitch and The World's worst Pirate).
Companion books:
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