This Book Stinks!: Gross Garbage, Rotten Rubbish, and the Science of Trash

by Sarah Wassner Flynn

Overview

Get up close and personal with a wonderful world of waste. From composting and recycling, to landfills and dumps, to how creative people are finding new ways to reuse rubbish. It's fun to talk trash when it's jam-packed with infographics, thematic spreads, wow-worthy photos, sidebars, serious stats, and fabulous facts. Also included are quizzes and activities to inspire kids to take action, be proactive, and rethink the things we throw away.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426327315
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/05/2014
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

SARAH WASSNER FLYNN loves writing, running, and triathalons. When she's not writing about races, she's usually training or competing in one. She also writes nonfiction books and articles for kids and teens, like The National Geographic Kids National Park Guide U.S.A. and The Girl's Life Guide to the Most Amazing You.

Editorial Reviews

"The juxtaposition of problems and possibilities makes this a more positive book than it might have been, and there are suggested activities that are well within the capacity of the middle-grade audience. An enthusiastic invitation to become a waste warrior." — Kirkus

"This engaging title takes readers through the facts and figures of refuse and recycling: what we throw out, where it goes, and what we can do to lighten our litter load. A focus on our global garbage habits, including trash’s impact on everything from oceans to outer space, will open the minds of young ecologists to this hot-button topic... VERDICT A strong purchase for any middle grade nonfiction collection " — School Library Journal

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From the Publisher

07/01/2017
Gr 4–7—Dive into one of the most pressing ecological issues facing our planet—trash! This engaging title takes readers through the facts and figures of refuse and recycling: what we throw out, where it goes, and what we can do to lighten our litter load. A focus on our global garbage habits, including trash's impact on everything from oceans to outer space, will open the minds of young ecologists to this hot-button topic. Full-color pages text accompanied by photographs, with many informational spreads featuring eye-catching charts and diagrams. Some readers may find the vibrant neon coloration of some pages overwhelming, but overall the eclectic layout helps to bring a stinky subject to life. With a table of contents, bold headings on each page, and an index, this is a useful resource for researchers. The design, which calls to mind many a records book, also makes this a strong recommendation for recreational reading. The content is enhanced by interviews, intermittent quizzes that reinforce as well as entertain, a word scramble, and an entire section dedicated to how-tos on upcycling, composting, and more. There's even a recipe for sour milk pancakes! VERDICT A strong purchase for any middle grade nonfiction collection.—Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

2017-04-26
Stinky facts about waste and what we can do about it.With lively, colorful design and limited text, Flynn takes on the problems of the "staggering amount of trash" we humans create and offers suggestions for appropriate waste disposal, recycling, reuse, and composting roughly organized into chapters. Each double-page spread covers a different topic, introduced with an attention-getting headline ("From Filth to Fashion"; "Food Waste Facts to Chew on") and developed with factoids and short paragraphs. These are presented on colorful, geometric backgrounds and strewn around the pages along with drawings and photographs and splotches of color. The effect is almost overwhelming, which may be the intent. Flynn explains how landfills work, describes the plastic in our oceans and debris orbiting the Earth in space, and points out how our food waste could feed the hungry. She introduces garbage collectors, dumpster divers, artists who reuse materials, and a trash activist. She shows that problems of waste management are worldwide, and she offers examples of progress from many countries. The juxtaposition of problems and possibilities makes this a more positive book than it might have been, and there are suggested activities that are well within the capacity of the middle-grade audience. An enthusiastic invitation to become a waste warrior. (index, credits) (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews