Beautiful Junk

by Melissa Assaly, Samantha Lucy Haslam (illustrator)

A new picture book encouraging young readers to consider the environment and to reuse and recycle from the author of The Imperfect Garden.

What makes something a treasure? In Beautiful Junk a young boy's neighbour is getting ready to move to their new home and leaves all of their "junk" on the curb. He soon discovers, however, that one person's junk can be another person's treasure. To his amazement, people go through the piles and find uses for many items that had been ready to go in to the garbage truck. Is it possible that even he could find a treasure from the pile?This book is a follow-up to "The Imperfect Garden" and is keeping with the theme of environmentally friendly actions. Children can learn to value and re-imagine items to save them from the landfill.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2025

Reviews

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out on a walk with his mom, Rowan discovers that his neighbors are moving and they’ve left a lot of their belongings on the side of the road. Rowan is curious about why the neighbor is “putting things that belong inside their house outside.” His mom explains that the stuff will all go in the trash when the garbage truck comes on Friday. But then various people show up to claim items from the pile of “trash”: a chair that needs fixing and three plants that Rowan’s Nana takes and revives. Rowan even finds some toys for himself that he cleans up and can’t wait to play with. Rowan remembers that he was taught about “landfills and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling” and learns about the concept and how it applies to everyday life. Illustrations are simple and depict a young boy watching and learning about sustainability from looking out the window in his neighborhood. 

One person’s trash truly is another person’s treasure in this simple but important picture book. I love how the book shows that sometimes one simple question leads to learning! Curiosity and sustainability are both celebrated in this simple book. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Paul Sutter]

Since children today will be the adults of tomorrow, it is important they learn responsible habits. BEAUTIFUL JUNK is the perfect book to show children the necessity for recycling as much as possible.
Rowan is out walking with his mother. He returns to his house to see his neighbors taking a lot of items to the curb. They are moving and simply putting them out to be taken to the dump next garbage day.
Rowan thinks that is a lot of things going to waste. But it all changes when he sees people looking through the piles, taking items that are still of use. He recalls talk at school about reusing and recycling, pleased people are making use of so many things.
Day by day the pile of unwanted items gets smaller, people imagining what they can do with to give the materials a second home. Rowan even finds some things for himself. He vows the next time he goes for a walk with his mother, he will keep an eye out for treasures from the trash.
This is an excellent book, showing young readers their responsibility by recycling, and halting so much heading to landfill sites.

[Kiera Beddes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows Rowan, an observant young boy, who notices what happens with a pile of junk that a neighbor, who is moving, leaves out in their driveway. Different members of the community make an effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle different pieces until the pile is gone.

The story celebrates creativity and sustainability, encouraging young minds to explore possibilities, while also considering the environment. With vibrant illustrations, the book captures the joy of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. I could see this book being paired with a makerspace activity or supplemental materials on a recycling unit in science.