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Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint
Sandy loves visiting her grandpa's house by the beach every summer. She and her dog Pepper play in the sand and surf, chasing the seagulls. But on this day her walk on the beach is ruined when she comes across the garbage left over from someone else's picnic--pop cans, half-eaten hot-dog buns, and even a yellow mustard container. Angry, Sandy can't understand why anyone would want to dirty her beautiful beach. She and Pepper are startled by the arrival of the 'Garbage Lady, ' who helps pick up the mess. The Garbage Lady explains to Sandy that everyone has an ecological footprint--the mark they leave on the world--and that it is their responsibility to shrink it. Sandy is impressed and runs home to tell her grandpa. A wonderful introduction to environmental responsibility, the book ends with a list of everyday ways we can all shrink our footprint. Fittingly illustrated with a unique collage technique using recycled materials.
- GenresPicture BooksEnvironment
24 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2010
About the author
Femida Handy
8 books4 followersFemida Handy is a professor of Environmental Studies. She began using the term "ecological footprint" with her students in the 1990s. She later taught her own children by using the idea of footprints on the beach. She is now a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, splitting her time between the US and Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 21, 2017
An interesting book that allows a little girl to learn all about the importance of the carbon footprint. Sandy has always been interested in recycling and keeping the beach clean. She has learned much about the flora and fauna from her grandfather. When she comes upon a large mess on the beach, she bemoans those who left it that way. Meeting a special woman, Sandy learns all about shrinking her footprint, an idea she passes along to others. Neo liked the unique style of illustrating this book and wants us to recycle even more.
September 29, 2019
The best three weeks of Sandy's year were the ones spent at her grandfather's house near the shore, so the young girl had no sooner arrived, one season, than she hurried down to the beach. Running on the sand with her dog Pepper, she stumbled across a mound of trash, and in the process of picking it up, met the infamous local 'Garbage Lady,' and learnt an important lesson about the ecological footprint we all leave behind...
A picture-book with a purpose (one I wholeheartedly support!), Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint is not wholly didactic, but it definitely has a didactic purpose, and the reader never entirely loses sight of that fact, while reading. I don't know that this is necessarily a bad thing, as this strikes me as a teaching tale - one that can be used to start a discussion with younger children about environmental stewardship and responsibility, and ways that everyone - including young people - can reduce their ecological footprint.
A picture-book with a purpose (one I wholeheartedly support!), Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint is not wholly didactic, but it definitely has a didactic purpose, and the reader never entirely loses sight of that fact, while reading. I don't know that this is necessarily a bad thing, as this strikes me as a teaching tale - one that can be used to start a discussion with younger children about environmental stewardship and responsibility, and ways that everyone - including young people - can reduce their ecological footprint.
July 16, 2010
We live during a time in history when man is ruining the earth faster than any solution can be implemented. From oil spills to overflowing garbage landfills, we need to take more responsibility as consumers. And it’s never too early or late to instill good habits and environmental awareness in our children.
Sandy’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint is a simple story with a big message. We can each do our part—adults and children—to preserve the earth. My 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son enjoyed learning about how we can all shrink our ecological footprint, the mark we leave on the earth. At the end of the story, there’s a list of 12 things children can do. We discussed each one and why doing them would help take better care of our earth. Later in the week, I overheard my son tell his sister not to let the water run while she brushed her teeth. And it gave my daughter impetus to remind me of the benefits of having a garage sale, which I had been putting off! All this to say my children have become more aware of how their actions affect our earth.
The illustrations were captivating because they were made from recycled and natural materials. We tried to figure out what materials were used and were pleasantly surprised to see pressed rose petal as one. Both my children thought the story ended too abruptly, though, and would have wished it to go on longer, with more action. The Garbage Lady was an interesting character, and perhaps a stronger plot development was needed. However, this book remains a great way to introduce young children to the topic of taking responsibility to care for our earth.
Sandy’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint is a simple story with a big message. We can each do our part—adults and children—to preserve the earth. My 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son enjoyed learning about how we can all shrink our ecological footprint, the mark we leave on the earth. At the end of the story, there’s a list of 12 things children can do. We discussed each one and why doing them would help take better care of our earth. Later in the week, I overheard my son tell his sister not to let the water run while she brushed her teeth. And it gave my daughter impetus to remind me of the benefits of having a garage sale, which I had been putting off! All this to say my children have become more aware of how their actions affect our earth.
The illustrations were captivating because they were made from recycled and natural materials. We tried to figure out what materials were used and were pleasantly surprised to see pressed rose petal as one. Both my children thought the story ended too abruptly, though, and would have wished it to go on longer, with more action. The Garbage Lady was an interesting character, and perhaps a stronger plot development was needed. However, this book remains a great way to introduce young children to the topic of taking responsibility to care for our earth.
Read
February 12, 2015Who remembers what our first book, Here Comes the Garbage Barge, was about? (too much garbage). We also looked closely at the illustrations right? We are going to look at the illustrations in today’s book also. And in Tracking Trash what did we learn? (how trash moves in the ocean and washes up on land) Today we are going to read about Sandy. Is this probably going to be non-fiction (true) or fiction (made up)? Do any of you have blue bins like she is holding? What do you think she is going to do? Let’s read and find out!
*Opening moves
-Draw attention to the writer’s or illustrator’s craft
-Prompt predictions based on the title
-Remind children of genre comparisons
-Ask children to make connections to a previously read text
Rationale:
I chose Sandy’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint because it is relatable to kids (going to visit grandparents or other relatives). It also demonstrates what an impact just one person or family can have on the environment if they would recycle more and waste less. The illustrations made out of recycled, collage style motifs add a bit of whimsy and fun to the story. It ties in nicely with my other selections based on the theme of Earth Day/recycling/environment preservation.
*Opening moves
-Draw attention to the writer’s or illustrator’s craft
-Prompt predictions based on the title
-Remind children of genre comparisons
-Ask children to make connections to a previously read text
Rationale:
I chose Sandy’s Incredible Shrinking Footprint because it is relatable to kids (going to visit grandparents or other relatives). It also demonstrates what an impact just one person or family can have on the environment if they would recycle more and waste less. The illustrations made out of recycled, collage style motifs add a bit of whimsy and fun to the story. It ties in nicely with my other selections based on the theme of Earth Day/recycling/environment preservation.
March 3, 2011
Wow...not a fan at all but don't get me wrong..love the Earth! While Sandy visits her grandfathers house, she is dismayed and disgusted to find that someone has left a pile of trash on the beach. With the help of the garbage lady, they get the trash picked up and Sandy leaves with the resolve to shrink her mark on the world. The book has an extremely didactic feel with too much text and irrelevant details. Great effort for encouraging young people to shrink their ecological footprint, though I think it could have been done in a more effective manner. Despite the textual flaws, the illustrations are eye-catching as they are made from recycled and natural materials.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews