Janet S. Wong - Author of Acclaimed Children's Books - Janet Wong's Books

Janet S. Wong is not a Dumpster Diver. She hates bugs, doesn’t like getting dirty, and has a very fussy nose. She didn’t even know what Dumpster Diving was until an artist named Kerry Wade used the term to describe himself, explaining how he turned an old pair of wooden skis into a handcrafted chair. Janet was so inspired by Kerry’s example that she decided to write The Dumpster Diver, a picture book about a junk-loving guy who (with the help of the kids in his apartment building) creates wacky things out of Useful Junk.

While Janet embraces the “reduce, re-use, recycle” spirit of Dumpster Diving, she did not want her book to encourage kids to start climbing into the trash, where they could hurt themselves. For this reason, Steve the Dumpster Diver has a little accident, prompting the kids to come up with a different way of obtaining free materials to build their creations, including a special gift for Steve!
Janet hopes that children and adults will embrace the message of her book every day—each time they reach to put something in the trash—and pause to think before throwing good junk away.

Comments from the Author

Why did I write The Dumpster Diver?

I am drowning in junk. My basement, garage, and closets are full of just-slightly-broken furniture, outdated electronics, parts and pieces of my son’s old toys, and strange doodads that people thought would make a funny gift. Every year I take a big load of my best junk to Goodwill. I leave the slightly-broken stuff at home. I could throw the broken stuff away, but that would seem too wasteful. And so the piles in my basement, garage, and closets continue to grow.

A few years ago I met Kerry Wade, an artist who makes furniture out of old things. I loved the chair he crafted out of broken wooden skis. When I asked him how he got the idea to make it, he answered, “Oh, I’m just a Dumpster Diver!” The idea of this intrigued me; I don’t want kids to start jumping into Dumpsters, though! In The Dumpster Diver, the kids decide (at the end of the book) that asking neighbors for old and unused stuff is much better than digging through trash.

The Dumpster Diver is a call-to-action to all of us to stop throwing good stuff away. I would be thrilled if my book started a trend: I’d like to see groups of children and adults get together to fix and build new things out of Useful Junk. This would be a good Earth Day project. Or something fun and unusual to do at birthday parties, or in the summer. A substitute for frenzied shopping at the mall—and good practice that might lead to becoming an inventor, engineer, or Mad Scientist!

My message to kids: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle! Have fun with your junk, while you make this world a better place!

Learn about The Dumpster Diver “Junk is Good” contest!

Download a Teacher’s Guide for The Dumpster Diver!

Reviews & Comments

"Wong cleverly spins the topic for children…Essential to the book's charm are Wong's dry humor (rule number one of garbage immersion: "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT") and Roberts' screwball watercolors, which capture the whimsy of the creations, the gross-out fun (cockroaches abound), and the breathless energy of all involved. Adults will find plenty to talk about with children…This will be popular anytime, but especially around Earth Day, when it will inject new possibility into enjoyment to reduce and recycle. ..."
--Booklist

"Sandwiched between wonderfully gross-out endpapers, this distinctly urban tale introduces a wild-haired handyman named Steve who furnishes his apartment with recycled junk. And how does he procure his materials? By dressing in (discarded, of course) diving gear and plunging full body into his neighborhood's dumpsters—assisted by a corps of eager young neighbors who hose the diver and his loot down while offering such commentary as, "Diving Rule number one is: Keep your mouth shut. (This is especially important when the roaches start flying!)." Having helped Steve turn an old blender into a lava lamp, revive a dead computer, create new vehicles from broken skis and skateboards and other ingenious feats of reclamation, his crew leaps into the breach when he himself is laid up by a dumpster accident—going door to door to collect just the right detritus to construct a wheeled chair. Illustrated in cleanly drawn cartoon jumbles strewn with smiling faces and broken junk of all description, this cheery episode will have young readers (those, at least, without an aversion to creepy-crawlies) thoughtfully examining the castoffs in their own neighborhoods."
--Kirkus

Ordering Information

The Dumpster Diver
By Janet S. Wong
Illustrated by David Roberts
Candlewick Press
Publication date: March 2007
ISBN: 978-0763623807; $16.99
Ages 4-8

This book is available at your local independent children's book store or online at::


			The Dumpster Diver They say “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”—and The Dumpster Diver would agree!

		Janet S. Wong is not a Dumpster Diver. She hates bugs, doesn’t like getting dirty, and has a very fussy nose. She didn’t even know what Dumpster Diving was until an artist named Kerry Wade used the term to describe himself, explaining how he turned an old pair of wooden skis into a handcrafted chair. Janet was so inspired by Kerry’s example that she decided to write The Dumpster Diver, a picture book about a junk-loving guy who (with the help of the kids in his apartment building) creates wacky things out of Useful Junk. While Janet embraces the “reduce, re-use, recycle” spirit of Dumpster Diving, she did not want her book to encourage kids to start climbing into the trash, where they could hurt themselves. For this reason, Steve the Dumpster Diver has a little accident, prompting the kids to come up with a different way of obtaining free materials to build their creations, including a special gift for Steve! Janet hopes that children and adults will embrace the message of her book every day—each time they reach to put something in the trash—and pause to think before throwing good junk away. Comments from the Author Why did I write The Dumpster Diver? I am drowning in junk. My basement, garage, and closets are full of just-slightly-broken furniture, outdated electronics, parts and pieces of my son’s old toys, and strange doodads that people thought would make a funny gift. Every year I take a big load of my best junk to Goodwill. I leave the slightly-broken stuff at home. I could throw the broken stuff away, but that would seem too wasteful. And so the piles in my basement, garage, and closets continue to grow. A few years ago I met Kerry Wade, an artist who makes furniture out of old things. I loved the chair he crafted out of broken wooden skis. When I asked him how he got the idea to make it, he answered, “Oh, I’m just a Dumpster Diver!” The idea of this intrigued me; I don’t want kids to start jumping into Dumpsters, though! In The Dumpster Diver, the kids decide (at the end of the book) that asking neighbors for old and unused stuff is much better than digging through trash. The Dumpster Diver is a call-to-action to all of us to stop throwing good stuff away. I would be thrilled if my book started a trend: I’d like to see groups of children and adults get together to fix and build new things out of Useful Junk. This would be a good Earth Day project. Or something fun and unusual to do at birthday parties, or in the summer. A substitute for frenzied shopping at the mall—and good practice that might lead to becoming an inventor, engineer, or Mad Scientist! My message to kids: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle! Have fun with your junk, while you make this world a better place! Learn about The Dumpster Diver “Junk is Good” contest! Download a Teacher’s Guide for The Dumpster Diver! Reviews & Comments "Wong cleverly spins the topic for children…Essential to the book's charm are Wong's dry humor (rule number one of garbage immersion: "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT") and Roberts' screwball watercolors, which capture the whimsy of the creations, the gross-out fun (cockroaches abound), and the breathless energy of all involved. Adults will find plenty to talk about with children…This will be popular anytime, but especially around Earth Day, when it will inject new possibility into enjoyment to reduce and recycle. ..." --Booklist "Sandwiched between wonderfully gross-out endpapers, this distinctly urban tale introduces a wild-haired handyman named Steve who furnishes his apartment with recycled junk. And how does he procure his materials? By dressing in (discarded, of course) diving gear and plunging full body into his neighborhood's dumpsters—assisted by a corps of eager young neighbors who hose the diver and his loot down while offering such commentary as, "Diving Rule number one is: Keep your mouth shut. (This is especially important when the roaches start flying!)." Having helped Steve turn an old blender into a lava lamp, revive a dead computer, create new vehicles from broken skis and skateboards and other ingenious feats of reclamation, his crew leaps into the breach when he himself is laid up by a dumpster accident—going door to door to collect just the right detritus to construct a wheeled chair. Illustrated in cleanly drawn cartoon jumbles strewn with smiling faces and broken junk of all description, this cheery episode will have young readers (those, at least, without an aversion to creepy-crawlies) thoughtfully examining the castoffs in their own neighborhoods." --Kirkus Ordering Information The Dumpster Diver By Janet S. Wong Illustrated by David Roberts Candlewick Press Publication date: March 2007 ISBN: 978-0763623807; $16.99 Ages 4-8 This book is available at your local independent children's book store or online at:: Amazon.com BookSense.com
			Copyright © 1999 Janet S. Wong. All Rights Reserved.