Garbage [Hardcover]

Robert Maass (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

An informative photo-essay about the ways in which we dispose of garbage, and about the benefits of recycling.

"At the landfill, trucks, bulldozers, and cranes go to work. The garbage is moved, dumped, and pushed along in quick order."

Every day we make garbage-a broken toy, a napkin, even an orange rind. But what happens to our garbage once we dispose of it, and where does it end up?

This striking photo essay follows garbage on its journey from trash can to landfill and introduces young readers to the sanitation teams who help in the process. With an emphasis on recycling and composting, Garbage involves young readers in alternative ways of giving trash a new and useful life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Through clear photographs and simple prose, Maass documents what happens to refuse. Moving from neighborhood trash cans to landfills to recycling centers, he provides a basic introduction to the topic of handling waste. Although the author only briefly mentions the problem of methane in landfills and ignores potential hazards of incineration, he devotes a full page to problems of hazardous waste disposal. This discussion and the instructions for composting appear on the last pages and have a more advanced vocabulary than that found in the body of the text. Students who want additional information might use Charlotte Wilcox's Trash! (Carolrhoda, 1988) or Paul Showers's Where Does the Garbage Go? (HarperCollins, 1994). A book that will fulfill a need in units on neighborhood workers and satisfy children's curiosity about what becomes of the garbage in the cans in the alley.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Maass' accomplishment? A handsome photoessay about garbage. The full-color photos, beautifully lit and composed, introduce children to the many stages of garbage, from its creation and curbside collection to its transportation and treatment. Each left-hand page features a photo or two, vivid against a background of another related, soft-focus photo, printed light enough to avoid distracting from the main picture. The backgrounds on the facing pages are solid colors, allowing for clear contrast with the readable text. The explanations are short, clear, and simple. References to ticker-tape parades and garbage barges may be unfamiliar to most children, but those outside New York City will find plenty here that applies to their own communities. The last two pages contain a longer text, which discusses disposal of hazardous waste and creating compost heaps. An attractive book that will be useful for introductory units on garbage and recycling. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805059512
• ISBN-13: 978-0805059519
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,474,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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