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.
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
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
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