Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away by Andrew Larsen (Author), Oriol Vidal (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Explore
Genre: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by XeranthemumA picture book about what we throw away, and why it might be worth keeping!
What if everywhere you looked, you saw something to make? Instead of seeing something broken, you saw something to fix? Instead of seeing something to throw out, you saw something to give away? This is how Nelson Molina sees the world. A former employee for the New York City sanitation department, Nelson saved over 45,000 objects from the garbage to fix and show his community through his museum, Treasures in the Trash.
Explore the hidden potential in what we often discard and think differently about consumption, waste, and the impact of small actions. With themes of upcycling, anti-consumerism, love for community, and finding joy, Gifts from the Garbage Truck inspires kids to think creatively and curiously about what they do (and don’t) throw away!
I think adults are going to like this as much as the 4-8-yr-olds that this story is geared towards. Imagination, creativity, awareness and a sense of accomplishment are the fruits this story can inspire in readers once they’ve finished. The best part is that it’s doable, real and the possibilities are exciting.
The storybook’s pictures/illustrations are vibrant and capture the neighborhood that Nelson Molina grew up in. There is an introduction that gives the reader an idea of his childhood and the role model who inspired his life’s passion – his mother. Her influence, positive outlook and strong sense of values helped shape a young man’s perspective. What is one person’s trash really can be another person’s treasure. It’s all in how you look at it. The pictures show what the words paint.
As an adult, I can appreciate the value, hard work and dedication to an underexplored career – sanitation worker. For decades it was a job that people looked askance at, looked down upon, or probably gave it no thought at all. I think Mr. Molina single handedly changes that in this story. I believe he shows how this profession isn’t just needed but can make a difference in any society. How?
Reimagining what can be, by either reusing, upcycling or recycling. Sure, those are buzz words today, but according to this little book, he’s spent a lifetime doing that and enlightening his co-workers along the way. He was and is a man before his time, ahead of the curve, if you will.
I think an engaged parent could take what this book presents and, together with their child or children, explore, discover and experiment with what items they have in their own home and before they think of throwing them away, apply the same wonder, imagination and artistic talents to those objects they find and see what they can do, too.
One of the things that I think was great was the author included practical tips you can do in real life with a single rain boot, and old T-shirt, cutlery you no longer use, and even old soda bottles. Mr. Molina even has a museum made up of all the treasures he’s discovered over the years. A testament to the beliefs his mom inspired in him when he was a young boy.
The author included another power hit when he wrapped up this story. At the end of all those great illustrations that capture a child’s eye, is the wow moment when the cartoon comes to life. There are actual pictures of Nelson Molina and the treasures in his museum. This makes everything in this story real to the child this book is read to. It means they too can really do the things Mr. Molina did. They may not pursue a career as a sanitation worker, but to reuse, upcycle and recycle is something we all can do, and it not only can be fun and rewarding but it can help people and our community in so many ways.
Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away makes me relook at the empty jelly jar in my hand and wonder – what else can I do with this? What can I make with this? Who else could use this? I believe this little book can inspire creativity and fun.
