Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth

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Overview

Apple cores Bananas, bruised Coffee grounds with filters, used Just add to the pot and let it all rot into Compost Stew!
 
 
From eggshells to wiggly worms, this delightful recipe in bouncy verse features items—some familiar and some not so—that are fit for the home compost bin and will nourish Mother Earth. Vibrant collage illustrations use recycled and found materials to further a timely message. ...

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Overview

Apple cores Bananas, bruised Coffee grounds with filters, used Just add to the pot and let it all rot into Compost Stew!
 
 
From eggshells to wiggly worms, this delightful recipe in bouncy verse features items—some familiar and some not so—that are fit for the home compost bin and will nourish Mother Earth. Vibrant collage illustrations use recycled and found materials to further a timely message. And to keep young environmental chefs fully informed about compostingdo’s and don’ts, there’s a note in the back about what’s not fit for the bin.

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Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal
K-Gr 4—An easy recipe for soil enrichment. Well written in rhyming text, the descriptive phrases are as engaging as a list of, well, garbage might be: "Dirt clods, crumbled/Eggshells crushed/Fruit pulp left behind, all mushed/Grass clippings/Hair snippings/and an Insect or two/Just add to the pot/and let it all rot/into Compost Stew." Collage illustrations, also made of recycled ingredients, reinforce the theme of reusing materials to create something new. As colorful and charming as the compositions are, the human and animal figures are flat and uninspiring. Student environmental groups might use this recipe to expand school recycling efforts and create compost for vegetable and flower gardens, or to give away to community members. Using cafeteria scraps, recycled paper, and grass clippings would teach students how to make this rich, robust stew work for their own school gardens and, literally and figuratively, improve the earth. This book is recommended as a general addition to library collections and a primary selection for in-school environmental education. Use it with Linda Glaser's Garbage Helps Our Garden Grow (Millbrook, 2010), Raymond Bial's A Handful of Dirt (Walker, 2000), or Bianca Lavies's Compost Critters (Dutton, 1993).—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
Publishers Weekly
“Environmental chefs,/ here's a recipe for you/ to fix from scratch/ to mix a batch/ of Compost Stew,” invites a girl with curly titian hair. Letters stand for different components of what goes into a compost pile, and Wolff's cut-paper collages depict a multicultural group of kids, as well as a dalmatian and a goose, working together to collect material (“Dirt clods, crumbled,/ Eggshells, crushed/ Fruit pulp left behind, all mushed”): “And when the cooking is complete,/ Mother Earth will/ have a treat,/ dark and crumbly,/ rich and sweet.” An exuberant primer for green-minded kids. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Kirkus Reviews
A rollicking, rhyming alphabetical recipe for making successful compost. Aiming at young readers and even younger listeners, Siddals keeps the tone light while providing easy instructions on how everyone can participate in this eco-friendly activity. Bright pictures in collage created with recycled and found items are not only well-executed but recall the texture of the materials and tactile experience of the characters in the book. Wolff features a diverse cast of people of all ages collecting, saving, hauling and tossing ingredients to "[j]ust add to the pot / and let it all rot / into Compost Stew." Kids will also enjoy spotting the frisky Dalmatian and/or helpful duck on each spread. The title begins with an author's note explaining the roles of lesser-known items and why they make good compost and closes with a "Chef's Note" cautioning all to pay special attention to local regulations as those presented are general recommendations. Consider this recipe an ideal, accessible title to expand composting information for budding environmentalists. (Informational picture book. 3-6)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781582463162
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 3/23/2010
  • Pages: 40
  • Sales rank: 110,071
  • Age range: 3 - 7 Years
  • Product dimensions: 10.10 (w) x 10.10 (h) x 0.40 (d)

Meet the Author

MARY McKENNA SIDDALS is the author of several picture books for the very young, including Millions of Snowflakes. In addition, she has written dozens of children’s stories, articles, poems, and activities appearing in a variety of magazines. A former teacher, she lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she enjoys tending to her own batch of Compost Stew.
 
ASHLEY WOLFF is the author and/or illustrator of more than sixty children’s books, including Baby Beluga; I Love My Mommy Because; I Love My Daddy Because; Mama’s Milk; Stella and Roy Go Camping; I Call My Grandma Nana; I Call My Grandpa Papa; When Lucy Goes Out Walking; and the beloved Miss Bindergarten series. Ashley wrangles thousands of red wriggler compost worms in her San Francisco backyard garden. She grows flowers, vegetables, and an amazingly prolific persimmon tree.

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Read an Excerpt

Environmental chefs, here’s a recipe for you to fix from scratch to mix a batch of Compost Stew.
 
Ingredients:
Apple cores Bananas, bruised Coffee grounds with filters, used

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted April 18, 2011

    Great Earth Day Read

    It is fun, lively, and educational. I love the illustrations!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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