The Tindims of Rubbish Island by Sally Gardner

Illus. by Lydia Corry. Zephyr, 2020. ISBN: 9781838935672.
The Tindim family of smaller than usual stature, live together on Rubbish Island where they recycle all they find. Introducing the family as the story unfolds gives Gardner plenty of scope for her humorous telling and daughter Corry, a platform for her funny illustrations, designed by both not only to entertain, but teach some solid facts about conservation, recycling and waste.
The family is headed for the Brightsea Festival, but due to the enormous mountain of plastic bottles on their island, they can no longer see where they are going. In times past they were able to recycle paper and wood rubbish, but since plastic came on the scene, the rubbish from these items has grown beyond comprehension. So the family searches for a solution. Always a secretive group, they must now expose themselves to children to realise their aim of recycling more rubbish and showing children how it is to be done.
The main characters, Captain Spoons, Mug, Jug, Brew, Skittle and others live on the island in a warren of underwater rooms, including a toothbrush library and a hospital for sick fish. Laugh out loud with the names and scenes set by mother and daughter writer and illustrator. I loved the names of the days of the week, and the comments about some of the rubbish they find: a water bottle, who would bottle water? Read about the Tindims on their first ocean adventure as they show children how to help protect our planet for the future.
The first of a series, three more books will be published in 2021, all promoting recycling and conservation.
Themes: Conservation, Waste, Recycling, Plastic, Ecology, Oceans.
Fran Knight