Gifts from the Garbage Truck
  • Published: 3 December 2024
  • ISBN: 9781728283517
  • Imprint: Sourcebooks Explore
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 40
  • RRP: $38.00

Gifts from the Garbage Truck

The Things We (Don't) Throw Away

Buy from…
The Nile Mighty Ape BookHub Whitcoulls The Warehouse Paper Plus Fishpond Book Hero Unity Books University Book Shop Find Local Retailers

The unbelievable true story about one garbage truck driver who saved tens of thousands of objects from the trash to fix up and display in his museum!

A picture book about what we throw away, and why it might be worth keeping!

What if everywhere you looked, you saw something to make? Instead of seeing something broken, you saw something to fix? Instead of seeing something to throw out, you saw something to give away? This is how Nelson Molina sees the world. A former employee for the New York City sanitation department, Nelson saved over 45,000 objects from the garbage to fix and show his community through his museum, Treasures in the Trash.

Explore the hidden potential in what we often discard and think differently about consumption, waste, and the impact of small actions.

With themes of upcycling, anti-consumerism, love for community, and finding joy, Gifts from the Garbage Truck inspires kids to think creatively and curiously about what they do (and don't) throw away!

Often, Nelson came across oddly shaped garbage bags.
They clinked and clanked and jingled and jangled.
Is there something more than garbage in here? Nelson would wonder. Is there something someone might love?
"I knew it!" he'd exclaim, tearing the bag open and discovering a new gift from the trash.
Nelson didn't throw the objects into the back of the truck with everything else.
He had a better idea.
  • Published: 3 December 2024
  • ISBN: 9781728283517
  • Imprint: Sourcebooks Explore
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 40
  • RRP: $38.00
Categories:

About the author

Andrew Larsen

Andrew Larsen has written more than twenty books for children, several of which have been nominated for awards in Canada and the US. He began writing for children when he became a stay-at-home dad. His kids are all grown up now, but Andrew continues to write from his home in Toronto, Canada.

Praise for Gifts from the Garbage Truck

The illustrations effectively capture the joy of discovery and the dignity of Molina’s work and life’s mission. Back matter encourages readers to employ the four R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink) when it comes to the resources they use and discard. VERDICT: Informative and inspirational without veering into sentimentality, this title is useful across curricula and will have readers rethinking the value of items that appear seemingly worthless. Highly recommended.

STARRED School Library Journal Review

[A] fresh look at consuming less and reusing creatively.

Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

An unusual storybook written with a keen sense of what appeals to children and illustrated with a strong sense of form, line, color, and shadow, this beautiful picture book tells a story and makes certain points without becoming didactic.

Booklist, STARRED Review

A worthy takeaway about finding beauty in the most unlikely of places.

Kirkus Reviews

Useful in showing children how they can repair items rather than immediately throwing them away when they become damaged.

Youth Services Book Review