STUFF!

Pinch the pack rat is encouraged by his friends and neighbors to scale down his bursting-at-the-seams lifestyle and reform his pack-rat ways by donating unwanted items to the neighborhood tag sale. He’s reluctant at first, but giving up some of his stuff proves easy once he realizes he can use the money from the sale to buy more things. Much to his surprise, however, his friends want to use the money to buy a tree for the neighborhood. Pinch hesitates and needs a night to sleep on it. Spending an evening in his clean house gives him a new idea and the community ends up with more than just one tree for its beautification project. Cox’s illustrations are detailed without seeming as cluttered as Pinch’s house. His mixed-media and digital technique has the appearance of line drawing with subtle texture. The bright, bold colors convey the friendly tone of the story and ably show the movement from cluttered to clean as Pinch relinquishes his possessions. An admirable introduction to beginning environmentalism for a young audience. (Picture book. 4-8)