A children’s author with local roots has published her second book.
Beautiful Junk continues the theme of Melissa Assaly’s previous book, The Imperfect Garden. Assaly, who lives in Toronto and is an elementary school teacher with the Toronto District School Board, is from Hawkesbury and graduated from both Pleasant Corners Public School and Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute (VCI).
Beautiful Junk is about taking items that would usually be left behind or end up in a landfill and finding new uses for them.
“My hope is the book sparks some conversations about conservation in a kid-friendly way,” Assaly said.
The story involves a boy finding new uses for his family’s unwanted items as they prepare to move to a new house.
“I’m hopeful the next generation will be better at conservation,” Assaly remarked.
The traditional “three R’s” of conservation are reduce, reuse, and recycle. Assaly wants to promote re-think, re-purpose, and re-imagine as “the new three R’s.”
In September, Beautiful Junk was added to the CBC’s Fall Book List.
Colourful illustrations by Samantha Lucy Haslam highlight the positive, environmental message of Beautiful Junk.
The book is recommended for ages five to eight. Beautiful Junk sells for $23.95 and is available from many independent and chain booksellers, along with online sources.
