Here Comes the Garbage Barge

Written by Jonah Winter

Narrated by L.J. Ganser

Critically acclaimed children's author Jonah Winter reimagines a true story from 1987. The small Long Island town of Islip has a big problem-3,168 tons of garbage and no place to put it! So workers pile the smelly refuse on a large barge, hire a tug boat, and send the stuff south to find a final resting place. But as the barge travels from North Carolina to New Orleans and from Mexico to Belize-nobody wants Islip's rotting mountain of garbage. "Winter's folksy, storyteller's voice captures the scruffy spirit of the adventure with plenty of humor ."-Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470357566

Jonah Winter

Jonah Winter is the award-winning author of more than 25 non-fiction picture books including the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Diego and Here Comes the Garbage Barge!, and the highly acclaimed Frida and Dizzy. Winter has been listening to Jelly Roll Morton's music since he was a young boy.

Reviews for Here Comes the Garbage Barge

[ebrossette · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Here Comes the Garbage Barge tells the fascinating story of Captain Duffy, a tugboat captain who travels the worst with tons of trash. He hopes to find a place for this trash, but gets kicked out of city after city! I liked this story because I had never heard of the Garbage Barge before, and learned something new! I also like the focus it put on all the different cities.

[tiffanyak_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know why, but I love this book. I happened to end up reading it through work, and I think it's an amazing work of children's lit. The artwork is stunning, the story is fun, and the explanation inside the dust jacket on how the artwork was created is just the cherry on the sundae. Of course, I cannot yet comment on how much children like it, as we haven't read it to them yet, but I definitely think it makes for an entertaining and somewhat true read with a great lesson behind it.

[mariekagreene · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of Long Island's trash is retold in a humorous manner and would read captivatingly as a read-aloud. The illustrations are shockingly captivating - the scenes made from trash and photographed. This story would lead to a wonderful discussion about recycling and waste management.

[68papyrus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here Comes The Garbage Barge is the story of the trash barge that departed Islip, NY on March 22, 1987 headed towards the South to dump the 3,200 tons of trash is was carrying. This solution didn't work out and the trash ended up back in NY after multiple attempts to unload their garbage in another state. The is a great story to teach 4 to 8 year olds about the environment.and why it is important to recycle. Also, the illustraters used recycled materials to produce the amazing art shown in the book. Loved this book

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, this is a quirky little book. I don't remember this true story, but the Garbage Barge actually tried to make a stop in Morehead City, NC, before it was waved off. The illustrations are partly little live action figures, kinda funny! To me, this story's more a lesson in geography than in using less trash.

[matthewbloome · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a better intermediate level picture book than a primary one. I unfortunately read this one to a few primary classes for whom it was going over their heads. So, while I was reading along a quietly enjoying it, I could see that they were really not getting the underlying tone of the book. They understood the basics and that was fine, but there was plenty of under-the-table humor that an older audience might have understood better. Great book all the same.

[yona-414000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure what to think at first but then it became pretty funny and brought grins & chuckles, while still sticking to its apparent intention and point. Still closer to 3-1/2 but easier to round up.

And once again, like many of the short childrens picture books with instuctional or persuasive intent, it was harder for me to rate. A couple in the past I've been in awe of but that's much less common with these. I don't get to see the reaction of the intended audience and that's really what it's all about. I do, however enjoy and value the experience of reading and knowing them.

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am so looking forward to reading this to my fourth, fifth, and sixth graders... a humorous tale (not so humorously based on a true event) with a message. A perfect fit for schools trying to help students expand their "environmental literacy." And I think this will be the first read-aloud where I get to let out my inner mob boss.

[carolcavedon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about trying to disposal garbage that nobody wants. It reinforces the responsibility for the amount of trash that we generate and how can we recycle to reduce it. Great book to use in the classroom.Reading Journal: counts as 1 Picture Book

[dlow_54 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a picture book that tells the story of the garbage barge. To be honest it wasn't one of my favorites. It could be used for a lesson on recycling. This book could link well with that type of lesson. It is a picture book, but it provides true information and can be used in educating our young people. I think it would make a great read aloud. I would not purchase this for my personal library, because it was not of interest to me, but I would recommend it for lesson instruction.

[dulcenash · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is hilarious. It is a great book to teach children about the importance of recycling and reducing waste. It is about the town of Islip, New Jersey in the 1980's when they had 3, 168 tons of garbage and no where to put it.

[carolynebegin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book follows the true story of a garbage barge as it leaves New Jersey and tries to find a place that will allow it to dispose of its garbage. It is not well received in the cities that the barge stops at and the driver has a lot of trouble getting rid of all that garbage! As time passes the garbage gets smellier and smellier causing a lot of frustration. It is eventually forced to return home and the garbage must be destroyed there. Each new location tried has some information about the area which is also very informative.This book teaches an important lesson about what happens to garbage once it leaves our homes. It doesn't simply disappear and we must be aware of that even as children. The lesson is further taught with the artwork in the book. The illustrations, primarily of the barge, are made of garbage and materials that are being reused. The inside jacket of the book describes the process that they used and it is very informative. This can also teach children the importance of reusing and recycling materials.

[eputney87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary- The town of Islip created too much garbage. They created so much they didnt know what to do with it all so they put the extra garbage on a barge, hoping to ship it to a different land. To their surprise, nobody else would take their trash. After 162 day journey the garbage ended up back in New York to be burned. Strength- Provides awareness of a very real issue in our world today: TOO MUCH WASTE. Uses for Children- This book could be read when talking about pollution, the use of recycle bins in the classroom and raising students awareness of waste.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1987, the town of Islip, New York had a problem: While the average American produced four pounds of garbage per day, the average person in Islip produced seven pounds of garbage each day. The excessive garbage was loaded on a barge with the hopes of dumping it in North Carolina. When North Carolina refused to take it, the garbage barge proceeded on its ill-fated voyage all the way to Belize and back up to New York, meeting nothing but refusal in coastal towns along the way. Finally, after 162 days of travel, a judge decreed that the garbage be incinerated and the reduced load (down from nearly 3,200 tons to 430 tons) be buried in Islip. The problem highlighted the need for reducing garbage and increasing recycling.This book takes this strange-but-true story and fictionalizes it - employing characters with silly-sounding names, accented language coming out of the mouths of characters in the various locales, and humorous language in the narrative in general. In this way, serious issues such as over-consumption and pollution can be addressed with young children while still be playful and fun. Children can also learn a bit about the geography and culture of the Americas. One of my favorite parts is how each new locale is introduced with a short summary listing some of the things that particular locale is known for (i.e., Brooklyn is the former home of the Dodgers, New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, and so on). My other favorite part of the book is the illustrations. This book was on The New York Times list of best illustrated children's books of 2010, and it's easy to see why. Red Nose Studio illustrated the book by taking photographs of originally designed sets that used clay and found objects to create the appropriate scenes. I hope these sets are preserved in a museum some where -- not only because they are amazing but because, in keeping with the book's theme, they won't become part of the garbage problem! After all, the moral of the story is clearly written: "Don't make so much garbage!!!"

[nicholspdx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An incredibly important telling of a true story and wonderfully creative artwork that helps to emphasize the message about trash. This book should be shared with all young readers with much discussion to follow.

[terihogg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 There was a time when people didn’t care about what happened to the old toys and broken appliances after they threw them out. Soon the garbage dumps were too full. So New York had to come up with a new idea. And so the garbage barge was born! 3.168 tons of garbage was loaded onto a rusty old barge and sent on its way to find a place to dump it. They tried to park it in North Carolina but soon were booted out. Next they went to New Orleans but were not welcome. The boss thought a friend in Mexico would accept it and so off they went. Mexico and then Belize shooed them away as did Texas and Florida. Their only option was to head back to New York where it was burned. The inside cover illustrates the step-by-step process for creating the sculpted characters. The photos feel almost three-dimensional because of the real objects used to illustrate the story, much like a stop-action short. The story and photos go hand in hand in such a humorous way that I almost felt I could smell the garbage! I know boys will find the pictures cool because it’s about garbage. Highly recommended. Ages PK - 8

[asomers_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know what I loved more the tongue-in-cheek story line, or the amazing pictures. I can't wait to share it with my students. It will make a great lesson for Earth Day.