Meg McKinlay (text) and Karen Blair (illustrator), Ella and the Useless Day, Walker Books, August 2022, 32 pp, RRP $25.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760653095
Despite talk of climate threats and sustainability, we live in a society that values “stuff”, with many of us working long hours to buy more of it. This could be manageable if we bought what we need while considering the future, but most people buy for here and now, tossing items when they no longer serve a purpose. Ella and the Useless Day tackles this issue obliquely and with great insight, casting an object’s purpose as ultimately subjective: What we know longer need could be exactly what someone else has been searching for.
McKinlay’s sharp, simple text, supported by alliteration, traces the journey of Ella and her father who set out for the tip, their trailer full of ‘useless’ stuff managing to find a new home before they even get there. Blair’s energetic watercolour and pencil illustrations in an eye-catching palette add lovely depth and meaning to this simple story.
As an op shopper and bargain hunter long before it became trendy (cutting my teeth in the ‘60s, courtesy of Alexander’s bargain basement in the Bronx), it will come as no surprise that I loved this heart-warming tale and its core tenet: one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
A fun, carefree story with a timely and sustainable message. Ages 3+
Reviewed by Maura Pierlot
