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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Inside the Compost Bin
Author: Melody Sumoang Plan
Illustrator: Rong Pham and Vinh Nguyen
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: 1-7 Genre/Type of Book: Nature
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book:
Nominated for the CYBILS award for Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
Turning trash to treasure has never been more beautifully illustrated.
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Review:
This book takes a deep dive into the process of composting, and the benefits it has for the natural world. The book discusses that a simple bin can be a food source and host billions of organisms big and small, and how common 'old' items can cultivate this bin (dried leaves, old/expired/thrown away food, a cotton sock). The organisms living in the bin eat the materials and decompose them into solid and gaseous waste, and as the bin heats up from this waste, organisms leave or die. The next part of the process is a cycle of turning the pile to free up gases and the return of organisms throughout. As this cycle continues, the waste and leftovers begin to resemble dirt and soil, and that is when it can sifted and left to cure before use. After about three weeks, the compost has settled to a state that is usable for growing plant life. Once used alongside soil (broken down rocks and minerals), compost helps improve soil through three S's: slowing water runoff, sinking into the soil to reach roots, spread carbon dioxide and nutrients to organisms.
I am not a composter, and to be honest while I thought this was a unique book, it was not my cup of tea (too detailed of bug drawings for me). That, however, does not stop me from recognizing that this is a beautifully illustrated book that breaks composting down for upper elementary readers in a unique way. The cover and each illustration (of the plants, compost, organisms) is brightly colored and detailed, which will absolutely interest readers just passing by the book on the shelf. I liked how the author wrote about composting in a way that was understandable and emphasized how big of an impact compost can have on the environment. The back of the book has some in depth information on beginning composting as an adult with a child, what materials and temperatures to use, and how to cultivate compost till the end of the process.
This book is a little dense for a young elementary read aloud, but I do think it could be read aloud to upper elementary students, and maybe do a project alongside it with making your own school compost or learning about organism like worms/bugs. I also think that students would pick this up on their own because of how cool (and kind of gross) the cover looks.
Number of party hats:
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website