I have two children who love to collect things. Seriously these children could be on an episode of hoarders. Whenever I help them clean their rooms (which isn't often) I find the strangest stuff and of course I cannot get rid of said stuff because to the kids they are treasures. My daughter collects sticks, rocks, shells, ticket stubs and animal bones...weird right. My son collects bottle caps, Lego bricks, Lego mini-figures and cars. So when I was contacted to review the book "Glamorous Garbage" I just couldn't resist. This book was definitely written specifically for my hoarders...I mean children.
A moms review:
Glamorous Garbage is a non-fiction story that teaches children how to tackle a really messy room by reducing, reusing and redecorating!
Glamorous Garbage is a great story for children ages 5-8 years old. It is a 40 page hardcover book written and illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman who is very passionate about collecting herself....here's a peek of her house from her blog. The story is about two cousins, Bobbie and Joanie, and focuses on Bobbie and her love for collecting stuff....she just can't resist a garage sale and has a really hard time letting stuff go. One day Joanie comes to visit Bobbie and has a hard time finding somewhere to play in Bobbies room...not only is it full of stuff, it is a little dangerous too. Bobbie's mom decides it's time for an intervention and gives her two weeks to clear out the clutter. So Bobbie comes up with the perfect plan to turn her room into a "glamorous big kids room."
Bobbie shows her "glamorous big kid room plan" to her mom but her mom tells her that they cannot buy new things for her room right now....so Bobbie comes up with an alternate plan. Bobbie starts bringing home more garbage and junk from the swap shed and her mom and Joanie begin to get worried. After all the idea was to get a cleaner more organized room not a more cluttered one. One day while Bobbie and Joanie are playing they get into a fight after Joanie looses her favorite toy. Bobbie finally realizes that her room must get cleaned up or her best cousin may never come over to play again, but the deadline is approaching fast, so she decides it's time to ask her mom for help.
Bobbie's mom helps her make 3 piles: keep-it, fix-it-up, and time-to-go. Then her mom helps her turn a lot of her trash into new treasures that she can actually utilize. She even manages to let go of old toys which was the hardest part to deal with but still made her the queen of yard sales.
The illustrations in the book are adorable and very bright and colorful.
Both of my children loved the book and have asked for me to read it to them several times. It has also encouraged us to finally start our keepsake shadowbox collages which can hang on the wall and proudly display small treasures.
About the Author and Illustrator:
After majoring in fine art and education in college, Barbara Johansen Newman switched gears to spend the next ten years as a puppeteer and doll artist, performing in and around the Buffalo area with her husband and exhibiting at fine craft fairs and in galleries throughout the US. In 1982, after moving to Boston, she returned to her first love of drawing and became an illustrator, creating many editorial illustrations for magazines and newspapers across the country. Raising her three sons reignited a love for children's books, sparking a change of direction in 1999. She has been illustrating and writing books for the young at heart ever since. She also designs fabrics for the sewing industry. When not writing, illustrating or designing, Barbara can be found rummaging in countless flea markets, antique shops, and thrift stores (and even the dump), ever on the hunt, looking to add fantastic finds to an already enormous collection of vintage bric-a-brac and priceless junk. Her motto: "Less is never more, and more is never enough." You can read more about Barbara and her escapades on her website.
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