Junkyard

Austin’s (Monsters Love Colors, 2013) background in design is clear in the simple but sharply defined shapes full of personality and playfulness, perfect for inviting young readers into the yard for a smash-’em-up romp of a good time.

Two civic-minded robots dubbed the Munching Machines decide to turn their junkyard home, which is an all but in name a Superfund site, into a fabulous community garden and playground. Possessing figurative if not literal ironclad constitutions, they ingest everything within their impressive reach--not just "messy mounds of shopping carts,/ picture frames, and bicycles," but also "truckloads of stinky fish oil,/ barrels of sticky paste,/ a swimming pool of goopy goo,/ and tubs of toxic waste!" They take a break only long enough to let rip a triumphant "BURP!" before turning the yard into "something new." Austin's (Monsters Love Colors) rhyming clomps along like a robot, but the listicle aspect of his text ("They pile dirt high/ to make mountains for hiking/ and a long winding trail/ for running and biking") should prod readers to lean in and contemplate their own perfect playgrounds. While the two mechanical heroes have just one personality setting--eagerly happy--Austin's digital illustrations are exuberantly jumbled and layered, making for a bright, colorful mess with an appropriately distressed texture reminiscent of block printing. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Supersized robots made from spare parts are sad to find that the yard is such a mess: "Junk as far as the eye can see/not even room for one little tree." The Munching Machines go to work right away, chewing up everything from rusty school buses and broken bed frames to truckloads of stinky fish oil and tubs of toxic waste. Once the yard is swept clean, "They dig hundreds of holes/for hundreds of trees, /and sow hundreds of flowers/for hungry honeybees!," turning the once-disgusting landfill into a beautiful community playground with tire swings, a lake for boating and swimming, and a vegetable garden. Earthy colors dominate the digital illustrations when depicting the messy junkyard, turning to bright greens, blues, and reds when the garden is planted and the park is ready for outdoor fun. The simple sentences and rhyming text create a singsong read-aloud. Children will understand the message about the environment and enjoy these delightful robots.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.