Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns

Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns
(Grade 3 - 5)

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion tackles a serious global issue yet reads like a lighthearted, optimistic report. Oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer has made it his mission to track our trash on its journey through the ocean hoping to understand and protect our seas and their inhabitants.

Readers follow the stories of sneakers and plastic toys on their respective journeys through the ocean. Beachcombers band together to help find 28,800 floating bathtub toys lost off of a cargo ship in 1992 as well as five cargo containers full of Nike sneakers. A bevy of photographs bring the amazing tales to life.

We are also introduced to both The Eastern Garbage Patch, a floating garbage dump partway between Hawaii and California the size of the state of Alaska, and Monster Debris, a giant mass of discarded fishing nets in Hawaii weighing 4,000 pounds. Rather than leaving us feeling hopeless, Tracking Trash chronicles what people are doing to help and inspires solution-finders of every age.

To find this book in our library, visit www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff