The Doggy Dung Disaster & Other True Stories: Regular Kids Doing Heroic Things Around the World [Paperback]

Garth Sundem (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Inspire kids and teens with this book of profiles of young people from across the globe who have overcome adversity to achieve great things and impact their world.

What makes these kids so special?

Twelve-year-old Haruka invents an environmentally friendly way to scoop dog poop. Fifteen-year-old Malika fights against segregation in her Alabama town. Ten-year-old Jean-Dominic wins a battle against pesticides—and the cancer the pesticides caused in his body. Thirteen-year-old Bethany loses her arm to a shark while surfing but lives to get back on her board. In all, The Doggy Dung Disaster profiles 30 extraordinary young people who are real-life heroes in five areas:

    * Kids Saving the Environment
    * Kids Standing Up for Themselves
    * Kids Helping Others
    * Kids Overcoming Challenges
    * Kids Using Talents and Creativity

Compelling, funny, and poignant, this book features kids who have used their heads, their hearts, their courage, and sometimes their stubbornness to help others and do amazing things. As young readers meet these boys and girls from around the world, they may wonder, “What kind of hero lives inside of me?”

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A one-of-a-kind book that uses real-life examples to teach young people everywhere that they can make a positive difference.”
—Midwest Book Review

The Doggy Dung Disaster is like opening a treasure chest, rich with hope, heavily laden with motivating stories."
—Warren McLaren, Treehugger.com

“Sit back and enjoy these 30 incredible human interest stories. The most uplifting and encouraging part is that they are true, inspiring and all about children who have faced extraordinary odds and accomplished near miracles. We meet young heroes that have used their talents and creativity to help others and/or save the environment.” —Skipping Stones Bookshelf

“This collection of tales about real kids doing amazing things is inspiring. It’s broken into sections so you can choose a story that appeals to your mood. Feeling distressed about the environment? Read about kids who’ve done something to help the planet, including a 12-year-old Japanese girl who invented a pooper-scooper for dogs that’s more friendly to the environment than the plastic bags most people use. There also are stories about kids overcoming challenges, using their talents and creativity, standing up for themselves and helping others.” —Washington Post

From the Publisher

Chosen as an iParenting Media Awards' Best Product for 2007!

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing (October 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575422166
• ISBN-13: 978-1575422169
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,156,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A one-of-a-kind book that uses real-life examples to teach young people everywhere that they can make a positive difference., March 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doggy Dung Disaster & Other True Stories: Regular Kids Doing Heroic Things Around the World (Paperback)

Written by social studies teacher Garth Sundem, The Doggy Dung Disaster & Other True Stories: Regular Kids Doing Heroic Things Around the World is a compilation of inspirational true-life stories about the heroism, inventiveness, and compassion of kids worldwide. From 12-year-old Haruka, who invented an environmentally friendly paper dog-poop scooper that allowed the waste to decompose (unlike plastic bags, which sealed the waste and prevented it from decomposing in landfills), to 11-year-old Tilly, who spotted the warning signs of a tsunami in Thailand and helped save 100 people, to Izidor, a maltreated Romanian orphan adopted by an American couple who devoted his young adult and adult life to bringing international attention to the plight of fellow orphans and improving their living conditions. A one-of-a-kind book that uses real-life examples to teach young people everywhere that they can make a positive difference.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be Required Reading..., December 27, 2008

By 

Reese (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doggy Dung Disaster & Other True Stories: Regular Kids Doing Heroic Things Around the World (Paperback)

I purchased this book for my then nine year-old because our family really values community service. We've endeavored to develop an awareness of its importance in our daughter from a young age. At first, she wasn't much interested in the book and it sat on the shelf for months. However, it was when her teacher assigned a non-fiction reading book that she picked it and couldn't put it down! She would read a story of how a child in some part of the world had helped humanity, and she couldn't wait to fill me in. She finally started keeping a list of all the ways in which she wanted to help the planet and humankind. As a parent, one couldn't ask for more from a book. It's written in a lively, kid-friendly manner. All of the stories are amazingly true. Side note: Not all of them are "happy." This is one of the more worthwhile childhood books, which should be required reading in schools today.