Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2024 Gr 2–4—Nelson Molina grew up in East Harlem, New York City. He learned early on from his mother that nothing was worthless and that even things that seemed like trash had value if upcycled or repurposed. From his father he learned the pleasure of collecting and displaying treasures. As a sanitation worker, Molina discovered many unique items thrown away in the day. Treasure by treasure, he developed what has now become The Trash Museum, an unofficial collection of finds from the garbage housed in a Sanitation Department garage. The illustrations effectively capture the joy of discovery and the dignity of Molina's work and life's mission. Back matter encourages readers to employ the four R's (reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink) when it comes to the resources they use and discard. VERDICT Informative and inspirational without veering into sentimentality, this title is useful across curricula and will have readers rethinking the value of items that appear seemingly worthless. Highly recommended.—John Scott - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2024 *Starred Review* As a child whose mother taught him to reuse and recycle cast-offs, Nelson Molina enjoyed picking up discarded items, repairing them, and turning them into gifts for his siblings. As a man, he collected garbage in two ways. His job was to take garbage bags full of trash left by New York City residents and load them into a dump truck. But his mission was to discover treasures in the trash and take them back to the office, where he cleaned and saved the ones that seemed worth keeping. He displayed them atop his coworkers’ lockers. When a supervisor ordered them removed, the unpopular decision was soon reversed. Eventually, 45,000 items collected by Molina formed the basis of the Treasures in the Trash Museum. With a foreword addressed to kids from Nelson Molina, the story begins with his childhood and concludes with “an invitation to think differently about the things we throw away.” An unusual storybook written with a keen sense of what appeals to children and illustrated with a strong sense of form, line, color, and shadow, this beautiful picture book tells a story and makes certain points without becoming didactic. An excellent choice for classroom units focused on trash, conservation, or the environment. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.