Booklist

Vibrant digital artwork energizes this engaging nonfiction picture book about giving unwanted items a second life. The book opens with people encountering things that are “Worn. Tired. Broken. Tossed aside. Replaced” and bringing them home to imagine new possibilities. Two girls transform scraps of cloth into friendship bracelets and old cardboard into a playhouse, while other examples expand the concept to a much larger scale. Readers discover playground equipment made from old wind turbines, shipping containers transformed into homes, and “Ecobricks” created from repurposed plastic. Facts are woven throughout the narrative, including information about how long treated and untreated cardboard takes to decompose. Back matter provides additional information about different types of waste that can be repurposed, along with a select bibliography for further exploration. Accessible and inspiring, this title encourages young readers to see discarded materials not as trash but as opportunities for creativity and problem solving. A natural fit for makerspaces and an excellent read-aloud choice for science classes.