Here Comes the Garbage Barge

Here Comes the Garbage Barge

By Jonah Winter

Illustrations by Red Nose Studio

Schwartz and Wade Books, 2010

32 pages 

Historical Fiction

          Here Comes the Garbage Barge tells the true story of the trash of Islap, NY in a very humorous manner. You see, Islip had produced way more trash than they could bury so it was decided that they would load 3,168 tons of garbage on a boat and send it down south. The Garbage Barge was pulled by the  Break of Dawn. It was supposed to be buried on the farms of North Carolina, however plans changed when the stinky barge arrived. It then traveled to New Orleans, where it was also rejected. Nobody wanted Islap's garbage, they had enough of their own! It traveled to Mexico, Belize, Texas, and Florida. By this point the trash had made it all over the news and was really beginning to stink. The boat had to turn back to Islip, but when it arrived, even Islip refused to accept it. Cap'm Duffy tugged that boat around NY all summer, and it grew stinkier every day. Finally, after 162 days of travel, it was decided that Brooklyn would burn it in its incinerator. A judge then ordered Islip to bury the remaining 430 tons of trash. 

          This book was very enjoyable. The illustrations are unique in that they are all made from garbage. They are hand-built three dimensional shots that are then photographed. The humor in both the text and the illustrations make this a fun book to read while also stressing the problems we face with garbage. I loved how the book gave little tidbits about the beauty of each state as the trash approached its docks. Florida was especially funny..."The Sunshine State, Home of Alligators, Beautiful Beaches, Oranges, and Grandparents. The illustration shows four grandparents in the gulf on inner tubes. Great book!

          I believe this book would keep the attention of students K-3 and maybe even some older students. I would use this book in the classroom when talking about garbage and recycling, when talking about NY, or even when discussing the importance of taking care of our own problems and not trying to throw them off on someone else.