Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear

Our son received this as a gift and I love the book. It's a sweet tale about a bear who was thrown out and how he is "rescued" at the dump. Cute little quirks are added that make it fun for parents to read as well. Lovely story, nicely illustrated with photos. The School Library Journal reviewer clearly didn't "get" the story -- of COURSE it's implausible. It's a FICTION story, and Dougal gets to live it up with the guys who work at the dump. The only place I find the author's voice intrudes is the very last line. The moral about sometimes bad things happen so that good things can happen could be more subtly stated. But that doesn't detract from the book. Highly recommended for anyone who loves stuffed animals or garbage!

I like books that make my kids laugh out loud. I also like books that entertain across the ages. But mostly, I like books that inspire my kids to go out and create something similar. After reading this book my seven-year old asked to use my camera and spent the afternoon posing his stuffed animals and making up a story. What more could you want from a book? Also, I had to write this because I was shocked at the School Library Journal review. My four-year old loves this book.

Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear is a wonderful, quintessentially Australian book. Quirky, whimsical yet down-to-earth, and incapable of taking itself seriously. Ignore the School Library Journal review by Sally R Dow. How anyone can criticise a children's book as "implausible" is beyond me. And as for "too long to use as a read-aloud" - my three-year-old daughter doesn't think so. In fact, when we read it she usually asks for it again and again. Yes, there are a few jokes for adults, but when did making a children's book enjoyable for both child and parent become a bad thing? We first came across this book at our local library. We now own a copy, and Dougal is this year's birthday present for all our godchildren.

While this book may be classified as a children's book , as an adult I was very entertained reading about Dougal! This is a great book to teach about recycling and ReUse! This would make the perfect gift for anyone in the solid waste industry.

Author and photographer Matt Dray discovered Dougal the Bear when he worked at a dump in Australia. A clever book with a scrapbook design, readers follow Dougal's journey from a child's toy to a garbage dump reject where he makes new friends and begins a new life. With a few bittersweet moments, Dougal doesn't become real like the Velveteen Rabbit, but still enjoys a happy ending for his young readers. This whimsical book will delight anyone who has ever loved and lost a teddy bear. Recommended.