Because this week’s theme is GARBAGE, I decided it was MY turn to choose the book to review (for fear that Alden and Kato would again pick one of our books, thus permanently linking our life’s work to trash). And what better book to review than “Here Comes the Garbage Barge” by Jonah Winter and illustrated by my very favorite Red Nose Studio.
The story in the book is based on a true story: back in 1987, a town in New York tried to ship its garbage south to North Carolina by barge. Unfortunately, when the barge got to North Carolina, North Carolina said, “No way!” and the barge ended up traveling to a bunch of different places trying to unload its garbage, with no luck.
Alden decided to review the book one page at a time. Please be patient:
p. 1: I don’t really like this picture because it has stinky garbage.
p. 2: That sounds like it doesn’t really make the farmers happy.
p. 3: I like the picture because things are being a lot better because the garbage is going away to North Carolina.
p. 4: I like this picture because it looks very pretty. The house and the sisters’ dresses look pretty.
p. 5: I don’t like this picture because they’re fighting.
p. 6: I like this picture because it looks like he looks happy.
p. 7: I like this picture because he looks pretty because of the crown and necklaces.
p. 8: [no comment]
p. 9: I don’t like this part because I think the garbage barge man is going to get hurt.
p. 10: I don’t like it because now it looks really really really stinky. It looks so stinky I might want to hold my nose.
p. 11: I think those old people are going to get bitten by alligators. I like the horse.
p. 12: I don’t like this picture because he looks sad and the garbage looks really really really old now.
p. 13: I like this page because I think the garbage barge man is happy because someone is finaly going to take their garbage.
p. 14: I don’t like the picture because it looks like he looks sad.
The only page that had her assessing anything other than people’s facial expressions or clothes was the second to last page, which shows the garbage being offloaded and then processed in an incinerator in Brooklyn.
She said:
I think I like this one because it’s kind of cool and interesting. That it can make garbage into little pieces of smoke.
I agree. Making garbage into little pieces of smoke is kind of amazing. Though it’s probably just as bad for the planet.
And her final assesment:
Thumbs up. Two thumbs up. I really liked it. My favorite part was when Captain Duffy found somebody who wanted the garbage. I didn’t like when the guys that were swimming didn’t take the garbage. Cuz they looked really mad.
Kato also gave the book a thumbs up. He enjoyed looking for identifiable objects in the trash – kind of like an I Spy book. He also was under the (mistaken) impression that the captain of the garbage barge (Cap’m Duffy) was wily and crafty. He seemed to think the quest to get rid of he garbage was actually a quest to keep the garbage.
I liked it when the bad guys came. The ones that had the guns that wanted the garbage. They almost shooted fire at the captain but he got away because he’s so fast.
I tried to correct him, but I think he thinks the stuff on the barge is so cool that he’s not sure why someone would want to get rid of it (“I found a birdcage and a statue and a football and a cart and a bottle!”).
And, strangely enough, this picture got the best reviews:
Both Alden and Kato think the ladies’ dresses are BEAUTIFUL.
In summary: Alden gives “Here Comes the Garbage Barge” two thumbs up, and Kato gives it one thumb up.
Actually, Alden wanted to give the thumbs down in the picture, and so was very disappointed when I reminded her that she had actually given the book a thumbs up (nay, TWO thumbs up) in her book review. She switched, but only grudgingly.
I found a great little video on how the illustrations for this book were made. They aren’t drawings at all – they are actually photographs of little dioramas the artist made out of all kinds of interesting things (including garbage!). Check it out:
And if you feel like learning a little more about the real-life garbage barge, parents, the NYTimes has a fun little retro-report about it HERE.
Hope you enjoyed the book review! If you’d actually like to purchase the book, it can be found at your local bookstore, or if you must, on Amazon HERE.