The Dump Man's Treasures

by Lynn Plourde
Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens

        Way up in the northeast state of Maine, in Shiretown, in the days before dumps were called landfills, Mr. Pottle, was the man who was the dump overseer. He found wonderful treasures in the dump because people threw away all sorts of marvelous things. Best of all were the books, and Mr. Pottle wouldn't allow a single book to be thrown away. He fixed the books, taping torn pages and gluing the loose bindings back on.


Since the dump man couldn't keep people from throwing away books, he decided to start his own library and anyone who came to the dump could rummage through the books and borrow whatever they wanted. And still people kept throwing away books, so Mr. Pottle filled a grocery cart with books and wheeled them all over town for people to enjoy. When he fell and broke his ankle, and could not wheel his books around anymore, the children of the town learned that Mr. Pottle couldn't read. The town kids took turns reading to Mr. Pottle day after day while he recovered.


This is a wonderful uplifting story for children of all ages. Read it aloud at bedtime or family time, or let the kids read it independently and then discuss the feelings that the story generates. The beautiful illustrations are so intricate. The kids will love finding their favorite throw-aways in the pictures, and Mr. Pottle's ever helpful cat is always underfoot.