Review Detail

Kids Fiction 541
Fun Twist on Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
4.0
Jake's mother is an artist who can't say no to discarded items that she finds in their neighborhood. She will pick up things from the dumpster, from alongside the road, or even out in fields where they travel. She always says "We must have this!" This doesn't make some of the neighbors in their apartment building, like Mr. Price, happy, but Jake's mother works on things to restore them to some state of usefeulness. When she brings home an abandoned boat to repurpose, Mr. Price opines that she wants to change everything in the world. This makes Jake worried that his mother isn't happy with him, and that she will not be happy until she changes him, too. He runs away to the repurposed truck in a nearby field that his mother has filled with flowers, and feels sorry for himself until his mother comes to reassure him that he is her must-have son.
Good Points
The digitally colored pencil artwork feels similar to the British books illustrated by Quentin Blake or Tony Ross and are full of diverse characters and riotous color. Pages are filled with details of the mother's projects, like her studio filled with paint, buttons, and tools. Much emotion is conveyed even though the faces have very spare features.

The mother is picture in a wheel chair, although no mention is made of any specific disability. Both the mother and the son are darker complected than Mr. Price, who looks like a stereotypical older English gentleman, complete with plaid newsboy cap. Very young readers who sometimes misunderstand things their parents say will be reassured that they are still loved, and older readers will chuckle a bit at Jake's overblown, but very heartfelt, fear.

The is an artful twist on the idea of reducing waste and reusing items. I'm a big fan of this message, although did once have a neighbor in an apartment building who collected things with a bit more mess and less success than Jake and his mother. Include this in an environmentally friendly library that includes Cole's One Little Bag, Cocoretto's City, and Green's Why Should I Recycle.
Report this review Was this review helpful? 0 0

Comments

Already have an account? or Create an account