Dear Garbage Man

Yes, history has rendered the message in this book questionable. In "Dear Garbage Man," a rookie garbageman repeatedly salvages items on his first day out -- "This bicycle is just a little dented." "This sofa just needs a good cleaning." Customers on his route are delighted to take the items. The next day, however, all the salvaged items are on the curb again. ("Dear Garbage Man, this bicycle is more beat up than I thought ...") The theme seems to be: "Don't recycle, don't re-use, don't repair." I use this book (along with "The Littlest Bunny" and "Mop Top") to teach my 8th-graders that every plot, every story, implies a world view that the author wants you to buy into. BTW, "The Littlest Bunny" -- where a bunny who was picked on eventually grows up and beats up two bully bunnies -- is a classic of redemption through violence.