Where Do Recyclable Materials Go? (Garbology Kids). Sabbithry Persad. Toronto, ON: Firewater Media Group, 2011. 40 pp., pbk., $8.95. ISBN 978-0-9812439-0-0. Grades 2-4 / Ages 7-9. Review by Suzanne Pierson. **½ /4 Reviewed from Galley Copy.

excerpt:

"But where do they take all that stuff?" I asked.

"To the MURF!" Mom said.

"To the what? What's a MURF?" Peter and I giggled at the funny-sounding word.

"The MURF is the M.R.F. It's short for Materials Recovery Facility, but sometimes we call it the Recycling Facility."

Author Sabbithry Persad has created a very informative story that will help young readers understand more about what happens to the recyclables that they put out at the end of the driveway for pick up on recycling day.

      Where Do Recyclable Materials Go? is planned to be the first in a "Garbology Kids" series which will educate children (and their parents) about waste management. This book tells the story of Tiana and her family as they follow their runaway dog Bubbles to the recycling facility.

      The story is told through text, dialogue, and illustrations. Additional information about waste is included on most pages. For example,.

In non-sanitary landfills, waste (food scraps and trash together) creates harmful gases that pollute the air or even cause explosions. When it rains, the rain mixes with chemicals to form leachate, a liquid that pollutes the soil and water.

     Students from many different ethnicities will recognize themselves in the illustrations in this book. Persaud shows a culturally diverse school and community which will look very familiar to many young readers. The illustrations support the plot line of the story and add additional information about waste management. There is no apparent reason why Tiana wears a pith helmet and safari jacket, but it does make her very easily identifiable throughout the story.

      In addition to the storyline which takes Tiana and her family from their home to a variety of businesses that are recycling, to the inside of the recycling facility, Where do Recyclable Materials Go? also includes "Fun Recycling Facts," questions and activities, and "Notes to Parents, Teachers and Librarians." These additional materials may provide the support needed to turn good intentions into good actions.

     Where do Recyclable Materials Go? is a very good addition to the group of books designed to increase awareness of the impact of our behaviour on the environment and the steps that can be taken by everyone, including students, to reduce that impact.

Highly Recommended.

Suzanne Pierson is a retired teacher-librarian, currently instructing Librarianship courses at Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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