What to do with junk, you ask?Townsfolk join together to collect the refuse clogging their river. Readers learn how mounds of unsightly rubbish fouling a waterway are safely and efficiently removed. We see the litter hauled away by barge and truck for recycling, but a female artist with a cloud of gray hair and a young girl, both with brown skin, keep some of it. Together, they skillfully transform the junk into the tall, impressive titular sculpture. Soon, like-minded neighbors put their own talents to good use, crafting equally inventive masterpieces from discards-and cleaning up the river in the process-then establishing an open-air museum along the riverbank. This is an easy-to-understand tale about protecting the environment and using garbage for good, and readers will appreciate the community spirit at its heart. Kids will enjoy identifying the assorted items shown floating in the river and the occasional onomatopoeic words. The simple, bouncy verses generally scan well, and cheery, colorful illustrations-rendered in collages of hand-painted paper and clippings from old magazines and encyclopedias-depict people diverse in race, gender, age, and physical ability. A boy is shown using a wheelchair, and women are depicted operating machinery. The backmatter includes facts about pollution and cleanup projects, an overview of types of artists, and craft ideas for reusing unwanted items. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A fine springboard to trash art or found art sessions. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 4-7)

PreS-K Told in verse, the story begins with ordinary people gathering to collect the waste harming a river, sending it away on a barge or trucks. But a gray-haired, brown-skinned woman known as the Artist and her young female helper set aside certain pieces to sculpt a statue for all people to enjoyand to inspire other artists to create their own work from recycled objects. Each spread has between four and eight short lines pleasant for reading aloud, with words such as "debris" that an adult might need to explain. Kids will also appreciate the fun onomatopoeia used in describing various actions. The illustrator deploys magazines and encyclopedias in beautiful collages that fill every space, creating interesting pages to pore over. However, close inspection might confuse some readers. For example, when the Artist begins creating, some items listed in the text (i.e., fan and hammer) are missing in the illustration. Children might also have questions beyond the spare descriptions, such as where the trash goes. Several pages of back matter discuss how rivers get polluted and how people can help; the inspiration for the story; different types of artists and the materials they use; and craft ideas using recycled materials. VERDICT With guidance from more advanced readers, this is a friendly environmental lesson about an artist making beauty from trash. Elissa Cooper