Where does the Garbage go?

The following review is a contribution from Aparna of Chinuku's. One can't ask for a more appropriate pick for this year's Earth Day!

Not to forget, we would like to wish all the readers at Saffron Tree "A Very Happy Earth Day"

"Where Does the Garbage Go?" By Paul Showers, Illustrated by Randy Chewning. Not an appetizing subject, but it's something everybody should know about. We dump food scraps, packaging, dirty diapers, disposable dishes, and even old refrigerators, computers, and furniture. So where does all this go, after the garbage truck takes it away? Should out of sight mean out of mind? Not for the disposable-diaper generation, it shouldn't. This book talks about what happens to trash, in a way that's easy to understand.

It starts out by letting us know what used to happen to garbage (everything ended up in the dump or in the ocean). This part makes one cringe, as the author talks about the stink and the flies and the rats. But it does get better. People started using landfills, covering up the garbage with dirt, and putting up parks over them when the landfills grew big. But, the garbage never stops piling up. Incinerators can burn up trash, but they also make ashes that have to go into a landfill, and also pollute the air. So now, the book looks for solutions. It talks about how much trash each of us makes, and how much of it could have been reused. It shows us how paper, plastic, and glass is mushed up or melted down and recycled, with illustrations.

But, in the end, the book concludes, there is only one good answer to the garbage problem. To reuse things, and to make less trash in the first place. This is a wonderful message for children, who are very much capable of being concerned about their world, and very much eager to be responsible for it.

Last Word: The book itself was not exceptional, though good enough. Neither were the illustrations, but they were cartoon-like and appealed well enough to my daughter. What is exceptional is the effect of this book on her, which (and whom) I underestimated. My four-year-old daughter now monitors how many sheets of toilet paper are being used, how much garbage we're putting at the curb each week, and questions why I threw a bit of paper into trash when it could have been recycled. Now that's priceless.

Rating: Five Bindis for the unique science concept/theme the book addresses!

Note: One thing that I wondered about is how technologically accurate this book is now. Adults who are interested can follow up with "Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash" by Elizabeth Royte and "Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage" by Heather Rogers.

Publisher: Harper Collins

For a complete list of Let's Read and Find Out Science: Click here at: Stage 1 Science -
and Stage 2 Science
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Celebrate this Earth Day singing these songs with your children:

Recycling Song sung to: "Row Row Row Your Boat"

Source: http://www.preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml

Save, save, save the cans, throw them in the bin,

We can help to save the earth if we all pitch in.

Save, save, save the paper....

Save, save, save the bottles....

Save, save, save the plastics....

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Earth Day song sung to: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Source: http://www.preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml

Earth Day, Earth Day,

Comes once a year.

But we should make our message clear.

Love and clean our Earth each day.

Make that plan a plan to stay.

Earth Day, Earth Day,

Comes once a year,

Love and care for our Earth so dear.

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And lastly, one of our all time favorites: The Tree song from Mr.Rogers' neighborhood