16 Aug Review: Garbage Gulls
Garbage Gulls
Written by: Dorson Plourde
Illustrated by: Isabella Fassler
Kids Can Press, 2024
ISBN: 9781525307089 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781525311642 (eBook)
$23.99 CAD (hardcover)
$13.99 CAD (eBook)
32 pages
Ages: 4 to 8 years old
Review by: Alexander Slack
After reading Garbage Gulls, I was immediately reminded of the 1990 storybook Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. There can be a fruitful, 35-year dialogue between the two titles. Garbage Gulls is a poetic children’s book about two kids hanging out in a parking lot during the summer and feeding gulls fries. They imagine the gulls will carry them out of the city, over a forest, and out to play in the ocean that they have never seen. The writing is rhythmic and symbolic, with very clever wordplay that communicates with the warm illustrations. With much left to interpretation, so much can be discussed about this story and what it means, including themes of environmentalism, imagination, and urbanization. It is a gorgeous, engaging book that kids aged 3 to 6 will enjoy, but could definitely be enjoyed well beyond this range.