King of the Dump

Written by Tim Wynne-Jones

Illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-748-3

32 pp.

Ages 3–6

August 2025

 

In Tim Wynne-Jones's newest picture book, illustrated by Scot Ritchie, a father-son visit to the dump becomes a lesson in recycling and donation and looking beyond the self.

From King of the Dump, written by Tim Wynne-Jones, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Teddy and his dad are heading to the dump with multiple loads of recycling and some extra stuff, like Teddy's old foot-to-floor ride-on doggie. Teddy isn't sure he wants to give up on this toy, even though he is far too big to ride on the little dog toy. But, once they get to the waste management center, there's lots to do and much to recycle. 

From King of the Dump, written by Tim Wynne-Jones, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

First they head to recycle their metal cans and such. When Teddy spots an errant plastic bottle in the bin, Gord, one of the operations staff, lets Teddy use his grabber tool to pick it out and place it in the correct bin. Next comes a visit to the mixed paper bin where Teddy finds himself chasing flying paper to return to the bin. He also gets to watch the contents of various bins get compacted so they don't take up so much space. Finally, they visit the "As Is" area where Teddy can donate his ride-on dog. He has a hard time parting with the yellow-saddled red dog but a gift of a crown from the coordinator and seeing the joy his old friend gives to a young child is enough to make Teddy change his mind.

 

I'm sure many children remember regular outings with a parent to run errands, which the adults might think of as routine and mundane, but children find the magic within. Whether it's a trip to the local dump—sorry, waste management center—or the hardware store or a local bakery, kids will remember something about how it made them feel. (Readers of my age will undoubtedly remember visits to the local Canadian Tire for car stuff or the hardware store to paw through bins of screws or nails.) While many would not see the fascination kids might experience at a dump, the time spent alone with a parent is already special, and the activity of sorting is not dissimilar from the first task learned. Though it has been awhile since author Tim Wynne-Jones has given us a picture book—he has been very busy with middle-grade and young adult fiction like Blink and Caution and The Starlight Claim—he hasn't lost the touch that earned him the Ruth Schwartz award in 1983 for Zoom at Sea. As with Zoom, Teddy finds adventure in the ordinary. Though many children are bombarded with tools for play nowadays, from iPads to video games and a variety of apps, most know how to create fun and adventures from very little. Chasing paper that has escaped the recycling bin or using a trash picker tool to extract a misplaced plastic bottle or watching the compactors or the dump trucks all entertain Teddy. He finds amusement where the adults only see labour or chores.

From King of the Dump, written by Tim Wynne-Jones, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

But Tim Wynne-Jones doesn't just show us the pleasure children can get in the mundane. He also demonstrates that kids can see beyond themselves. I'm sure there are many parents who would just have given in to Teddy and let him keep his old toy, giving in to his fear for losing a beloved toy. It's not unusual to hold on to that which holds wonderful memories. But Teddy's dad and even the lady in the "As Is" area know that moving on, perhaps with a new play crown or by seeing someone else enjoy the toy, can be a big step, albeit a seemingly unthinkable one.

Getting Vancouver's Scot Ritchie to illustrate King of the Dump works so well. Perhaps it's Scot Ritchie's use of pen that gives his lines and shapes movement that is both methodical and purposeful. Sometimes there's flurry of activity, as when Teddy chases paper, or just intense observation of all the goings-on. Scot Richie gives Teddy and his dad and the waste management center the appropriate energy of activity, of pleasure, of work, and of emotion. (Yes, there is emotion. Just look at Teddy's face as his dad carries the beloved toy away.)

From King of the Dump, written by Tim Wynne-Jones, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Tim Wynne-Jones's dedication to "Felix, the original King of the Dump" suggests a very personal connection to this story, and I wonder if the bearded father could be Tim Wynne-Jones himself. Even if it isn't, King of the Dump remains a personal story of something special coming from the ordinary. It's a father and son spending time together with subtle lessons in unselfishness that suggest that doing good for the environment and others does not have to be a big deal.

Benjamin's Blue Feet

Written and illustrated by Sue Macartney
Pajama Press
978-1-77278-111-3
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
June 2020

Benjamin is a blue-footed booby who lives on an island in the Galapagos and loves searching for treasure. Unfortunately, with plenty of garbage clogging the oceans, it’s not surprising that much settles on Benjamin’s island. He finds a red “string-stretch-it” and an orange “hole-thing-um” and then he finds a “twink-um-doodle” a.k.a. a mirror. 

From Benjamin's Blue Feet by Sue Macartney

Unfortunately mirrors can be a curse for those of us who see in them what we don’t want to see. Benjamin sees that his beak is straight and very long, his wings are wide and bristly and his feet that are blue and floppy. And everything is different from those of his island mates.

From Benjamin's Blue Feet by Sue Macartney

Sadly Benjamin looks to his other found treasure to change his appearance, squeezing several onto his body to mask his “unsightly” body parts. 

From Benjamin's Blue Feet by Sue Macartney

Though a host of animals including sea lions, iguanas and finches laugh at his plastic enhancements, it is not until Benjamin recognizes the value in his big feet to his swimming, the beak to his fishing and his wings to his flying that this blue-footed booby appreciates all his attributes as they are.

From Benjamin's Blue Feet by Sue Macartney

Author-illustrator Sue Macartney tackles a lot of big issues in Benjamin's Blue Feet while maintaining a sweet story about a curious bird who finds novelty in junk. Like a child who finds gems among stones, Benjamin finds treasure in the garbage that washes up on shore. But it's that mirror that causes him to lose faith in himself when he finally sees what he looks like. By comparing himself to others, he deems himself less. And though he uses dangerous garbage to amend his appearance and can safely extricate himself from its inherent peril, this is what it takes for Benjamin to appreciate his morphological appearance as perfect for the functions of a blue-footed booby.

Sue Macartney’s art, created with pen and ink and digital media, always places the emphasis on Benjamin’s blue feet except when the garish garbage is around. His blue feet are vibrant and still harmonious with the earthiness of his environment, unlike the incongruous junk with its artificial and discordant colours.  Though Sue Macartney carries the reader to the unique environment of the Galapagos through the content of the landscape and its creatures (she also includes a double-spread of an assortment of "Creatures of the Galapagos"), I was especially mesmerized by her aquatic environment. She imbues her water with such hues of green and blues and textures of crinkly waves and whitecaps that the saltwater spray is almost palpable.

From Benjamin's Blue Feet by Sue Macartney

Benjamin may be surreal as a blue-footed booby who talks and can manipulate man-made junk, but the problem of ocean garbage and negative body image are not. They are dangerous challenges to our world and ourselves and teaching young children about them via an amiable bird reflects well on Sue Macartney and Benjamin both.

 • • • • • • • • • •

Tomorrow I interview author and illustrator of Benjamin's Blue Feet, Sue Macartney, about her new picture book.

Aunt Pearl

Written by Monica Kulling

Illustrated by Irene Luxbacher

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-153-5

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

August 2019

Six-year-old Marta's mother has decided that her Aunt Pearl should come and live with them rather than living on the street or couch surfing. Not only does Pearl bring her shopping cart loaded with her "worldly goods" but a man in an old van brings more boxes and bags with the same miscellany. While Marta and Dan's mother tries to keep their home tidy and organized as she prefers it to be, Aunt Pearl fills her room, as well as the garage and basement, with her stuff, and the clash of sensibilities begins.

From Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

Marta is quite fascinated with Aunt Pearl who is respectful of her new surroundings and family though she still feels the need to be true to herself.  Soon Marta is emulating Aunt Pearl, from her eclectic clothing choices to joining her on her forays to scour the neighbourhood’s garbage for treasures, always asking questions of Pearl and how she lived. Marta loves the drama of Aunt Pearl and always finds opportunities to role-play something she hears or sees associated with Aunt Pearl which unpredictably the older woman thinks strange.

From Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

But things are very different for Aunt Pearl now and over the summer and into the fall, she becomes more and more reserved, “staring into the ravine at the bottom of the yard where the trees grew tangled and green” and, with her mental health affected, she leaves.

From Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling, illus. by Irene Luxbacher

Aunt Pearl is a tough story about family and love and appreciation and authenticity.  Author Monica Kulling makes it clear that Marta’s mother wants to do what’s best for her aunt but it might not actually be what’s right for Pearl. Many would think it generous and appropriate to give Pearl shelter in the family home but it’s obviously not what’s best in the long run for Pearl. Whatever the reason for Aunt Pearl choosing to return to the streets, and there are those who do, she was still able to make a connection with Marta, to learn that she had a place she could go, and that there were still choices within her control.

Monica Kulling's words never criticize either Aunt Pearl or Marta and Dan's mother for their living choices. She is an observer not a judge, seeing the circumstances as a clash of two worlds in which all try to accept their differences with open hearts. Irene Luxbacher's rich collage illustrations, a mixture of pencil, watercolour and acrylics finished with found papers and gouache, push that same idea. While Irene Luxbacher makes Aunt Pearl a sympathetic character with her soft eyes and quiet smile, Pearl's clothes are usually loud and her presence larger than life. In the words and the art, Aunt Pearl is both subtle and bold, trying to fit her world into someone else's and ultimately that just doesn't work.

Aunt Pearl is a bittersweet story about homelessness and the power of family to love and accept and let go. It teaches compassion and urges us all to better understand what it means to be homeless and to love those who are.

From Aunt Pearl by Monica Kulling, illus. by Irene Luxbacher