Every Monday Mabel
Every Monday, Mabel starts her day with anticipation, completing her morning routine with purpose so that she is sitting outdoors in plenty of time for her favorite part of the week. Finally, with flashing lights, squeaking breaks, and a roaring engine…the garbage truck arrives! While Mabel’s family describes this weekly ritual as boring, cute, and funny, Mabel isn’t the only one in her community who considers the lift, shake, and gah-dump of the garbage truck the very best thing in the world. Readers won’t want to waste any time in picking up and enjoying this book.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Trash collectors play a very important role in keeping communities clean. Children can help by taking care of their own trash in the classroom or at home. Using images or real-life, sanitary examples of different types of trash, such as cereal boxes, junk mail, plastic water bottles, or soup cans, children can practice sorting the garbage into categories (plastics, mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum). Composting, or using certain food and plant scraps to create rich soil in which new plants grow, is another method that can be introduced to young children. Children can partner with adults to determine whether examples of foods and plants can be composted, or if they need to be thrown away in the trash.
Adults can set the stage for reading by talking about the cover with children. Based on what they see, what do they predict this story will be about? Adults can initiate a conversation that connects young readers’ lives with the story. Does a garbage truck visit their home? If so, what day does it come? In the story, Mabel’s truck has a mechanical grabber arm that lifts the trash cans and empties them into the truck. Is that similar or different to the trucks that readers have observed?