THE DUMP MAN’S TREASURES

Bill Pottle doesn’t mind being called the dump man, because that’s his job and he loves it. He finds treasures all the time: a rocking chair, a globe, a weather vane and, most of all, books. The town’s children understand—they don’t want to throw their books away either—and are delighted when Mr. Pottle creates a dump library with mismatched shelves and no late fees. When the books start mounting up, Mr. Pottle takes them out on the road, filling a grocery cart and heading to the town’s nursing homes and back alleys. Then one day, Mr. Pottle is missing. The children find him in a ditch with a broken ankle, and when they visit him in the hospital they discover something surprising—Mr. Pottle can’t read. The grown-up townspeople are uncomfortable, but the children know exactly what to do! Plourde’s feel-good tale of recycling and community moves slowly, but Mr. Pottle’s obvious love for what he does holds great appeal. Owens’s soft, realistic watercolors nicely complement this gentle tale. (Picture book. 5-8)