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Tyler Alles | 2/19/2014
" This is a really good book to read to students about picking up trash and pollution. The book centers around how badly the sea has been polluted by people throwing trash in it. This can teach a great moral to students about picking up after themselves, and showin them their actions affect others. "
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Chandra | 2/17/2014
" I actually liked this a little better than I was expecting. The message/moral couldn't be more obvious ('Don't Make So Much Garbage!'), but a little heavy-handedness in this particular case doesn't bother me. Some readers find the art creepy and off-putting and I can definitely see where they're coming from there, but it didn't necessarily affect me in that way. I like the idea that the art was created from found-materials! Super cool. Unfortunately, my copy was a library book so I couldn't read more about the techniques used (located inside the book jacket). "
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Kristin | 2/13/2014
" This has been coming up like crazy on the Caldecott prediction blogs. In fairness, I probably would have given it 2 1/2 stars. It's an intersting story based on a true event. And the topic is especially relevant given the recent oil disaster. But overall, I just don't think it's that great. I usually love real collage art in picture books, and I started off thinking these illustrations were clever and visually appealing, but it's all just a little overdone and a tad bit creepy, especially all the people with the weird facial features. "
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Elisabeth | 2/11/2014
" I had never heard this true story before. The text was funny and the story well told and I was curious about the illustrations (done by an animation studio) they were okay - not terrific but a little grotesque. Can't for the life of me figure out why the NYT picked it as one of the best kids books of 2010 though. "
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Arapahoe Library District | 2/7/2014
" Interesting topic, unique illustrations, good environmental message. Can a studio win a Caldecott? "
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Amanda Day | 1/30/2014
" This story is about a true event that happened several years ago where a town wanted to ship their garbage somewhere else. The boat taking the garbage could never find a place willing to take it. This book is funny and has great pictures. It would be a good boook to use when talking about not being wasteful and to help our environment. It also include many factual numbers from the event that can be incorporated into a math lesson. "
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Jen | 1/28/2014
" I found this to be a very interesting book. I vaguely remember hearing about the Garbage Barge when I was in high school, but I can't believe how far the captain had to haul this junk before finally getting someone to take care of it! Wow! I could see this book being a great intro to Earth Week or a unit on recycling. I enjoyed the illustrations and also the piece at the beginning that tells how they were made. "
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Andrea | 1/26/2014
" Random book we picked up once at the library. I never knew this really happened. "
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Hailey Dellinger | 1/20/2014
" I would use this for a 5th grade class or independent read since it is a longer book! But overall you could teach recycling, earth day, history (New York), and travel since it is about a specific place! "
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Heather | 1/17/2014
" Fabulous. I love the humor in the story, and the artwork is incredible. "
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Alissa D | 1/16/2014
" The illustrations are fantastic, but the prose is quite droll. Pete was enraged. "
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Monica Edinger | 1/14/2014
" Love it. I'm old enough to remember the real story and think Winter and Red Nose Studio have done a fantastic job with it. Reading it aloud was a blast. Superb! "
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Amy | 12/16/2013
" Kids love this - they ask for it over and over which they don't do often. Even more fun with your best East coast accent. "
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Ms. B | 12/6/2013
" Add this one to your collection for Earth Day. Truth is stranger than fiction in this true story of what happens to Islip, New York's garbage in 1987 "
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Shannon | 12/6/2013
" I found this story amazing. My students were astounded that this actually happened. "
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Dawn | 12/5/2013
" This would be a great read aloud for around Earth Day. Good story based on a true event with great illustrations. "
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A. Somers | 11/29/2013
" I don't know what I loved more the tongue-in-cheek story line, or the amazing pictures. I can't wait to share it with my students. It will make a great lesson for Earth Day. "
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Boni | 11/19/2013
" Fantastic book: great fun to read aloud, unique artwork and Jonah Winter's voice. This book sits atop my Favorite Picture Books of 2010 right now... "
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Annie Oosterwyk | 9/28/2013
" This is a funny book about a real event in American history. No one will take Islip's garbage, not in the US, Mexico or South America. Finally the barge makes the trip back north and ends up in... New Jersey, of all places. The art is made of recycled garbage to drive the lesson home. "
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Janet | 9/11/2013
" I liked the story of this book. Based upon real events with a few changes for the intended audience. The pictures were mixed media and done very well. However, the humans in the story really were creepy. I wonder how children will respond to them. "
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Christi | 8/22/2013
" I like the illustrations, and the story is interesting, but the accents are a little over the top. "
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Jen Petro-Roy | 8/4/2013
" What original, ingenious, and clever illustrations! "
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Tracie | 5/24/2013
" The true story of a boatful of garbage that nobody wanted, told through clever hand-built claymation-style photographs. "
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Tina | 5/3/2013
" based on 1987 true story, garbage "
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Rachel Yingling | 3/28/2013
" This was a good story that will help students to see that the garbage we make has to go somewhere. It is told in a fun way, but it shows that we need to be aware of our environment and take good care of it or it's going to catch up with us. "
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Kristiina | 3/26/2013
" The illustrations were great AND it was written with such wit. "
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Maureen Milton | 3/18/2013
" Brilliant illustrations and terrific narration resurrect the true story of the garbage barge that left Islip, NY in search of a landfill. Where will we put the garbage? "
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