Cover Image: The Tindims of Rubbish Island

The Tindims of Rubbish Island

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Member Reviews

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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Fun story, cute illustrations and a great message about recycling and conservation. The perfect book for reluctant readers due to the dyslexia-friendly font.

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A really lovely story about what we do with our rubbish and how we need to make changes. It is written by a Carnegie winning novelist and would be a great starting point for any school discussion.

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Me and the boys read this over a few nights and we loved it. The boys are very savvy when it comes to the environment following recent school projects, so they really liked this angle of the book.

I was really impressed with the fact the print was made to be dyslexia friendly - inclusivity in this type of way is a great idea. The book was a fun read and the boys were actually excited for bedtime so we could read more! There were illustrations throughout, which broke up the text a little and would be perfect for readers who are just getting into chapter books.

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Tiny people with the titanic task of saving our seas in the war on plastic.

This is the first in a new series of Early Chapter books with a conservation theme at the heart. The Tindims are recyclers. In fact they were recyclers "well before the word had even found a plastic bag to crawl out of." Captain Spoons, Mug, Jug, Brew, Skittle and friends have built Rubbish Island entirely from rubbish that the 'Long Legs' (us humans) have thrown away. With driftwood kitchen tables, plastic-cup chairs and bubble wrap coats, The Tindims are masters of re-purposing. Their motto is 'rubbish today, treasure tomorrow' but now the sea is so full of plastic bottles, The Tindims are beginning to question whether they can still call them treasure.

The Tindims made a pile of plastic bottles that soon became a mound and then a hill, but now that hill is a mountain. Bottle mountain is a stark reminder for all of us of how our wonderful planet is being piled high with plastic and the problem is just growing and growing.

Rubbish Island roams the seas, bobbing about freely in the waves and it's up to Captain Spoons to steer its course, but bottle mountain is blocking their view of the sea. With the annual Brightsea Festival just days away, will the Tindims be able to navigate to warmer waters in time to celebrate?

Just when they think all is lost, The Tindims fish a rather exciting piece of 'treasure' out of the ocean that can help them get the island moving again. But this triggers a disastrous chain of events and their opera-singing, fish rescuing friend Ethel B Dina gets blown out to sea. They must call on the help of a marvellous marine mammal to help with the rescue.

The Tindims show our youngest readers in a friendly and accessible way the small steps they can take to protect our planet. The junk modelling suggestions at the end of the book, including 'how to make your own Tindim' are a great 'take-away' from the story and a no-cost craft activity that little ones will be begging their parents to help with. They would also make fantastic projects in a Key Stage 1 classroom to undertake alongside reading the book.

Phillip Reeve fans will find equal appeal in The Tidims of Rubbish Island - young readers who loved 'Oliver and the Seawigs' will enjoy this illustrated ecological marine adventure. The inventive story-line and highly engaging and detailed illustrations from mother and daughter duo Sally Gardner and Lydia Corry is a winning combination and I look forward to roaming the oceans on Rubbish Island once more in the next environmentally friendly adventure with The Tindims.

With thanks to NetGalley and Zephyr Books for providing me with a digital copy to review in advance of publication.

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This book is brilliant.

My son loved it. It talks about recycling, rubbish and the planet.

The illustrations are stunning and it is a book we will absolutely pick up time and again.

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What a beautiful little story, perfect for younger, independent readers. The Tindims are a group who live on Rubbish Island. They are the ultimate recyclers who see first hand the impact of what plastic is doing to our oceans. In amongst the environmental side, you also have 5he story of Ethel being blown out to sea and the rescue mission that ensues, all around the preparations for their Brightsea festival.

This is a wonderful story that highlights the need to reduce, reuse and recycle and is full of messages and ideas that younger children can get on board with and start to do to do in order to make them think about their own plastic usage. Fabulous book.

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This book is just adorable and i loved that it had pictures to illustrate what was going on. This book follows the Tindims who live on an island made of rubbish however bottle mountain has gotten so big on the island that they can no longer see where they need to steer too. This means that they have to work together as a team to figure it out. Tindims is perfect for children to teach them about the importance of recycling and the harm that can come to animals if rubbish ends up in the sea, A very quick read that i thoroughly enjoyed.

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This is a very sweet story for under tens. The tindims live on the sea, on an island made of rubbish. They are smaller than humans and make use of the rubbish to build their homes, but they are struggling because of a surfeit of plastic bottles. I loved the illustrations and the cute characters, including an aunt who wears an inflatable rubber ring and can talk to sea creatures. It reminded me of fairy tales, Edward Lear and The Borrowers. It would be ideal to use in class from years one to four to base a unit of work about recycling on, with lots of scope for building your own tindims.

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Review to come August 27th on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I just ADORED Sally Gardner's WIngs & Co series (and still hoping for book 6 to be released, though it has been 4 years...) and so when I saw this book I knew I had to try it out. I am glad I did.. because it was wonderful.

It reminds me a lot of the Borrowers, we see them use all sorts of things that humans leave behind and I was just delighted seeing what they use the items for. Like the chandelier filled with all sorts of fun items including a squeaky mouse, a candle, cards, and others, or a can as a hat (though dang that is a tiny can, baby tomatoes?). I love that they recycle things and make new things out of it. Loving each piece and not seeing it as garbage, but instead as treasure. Well, if they can, in this book we see them struggle a bit with a mountain of plastic bottles (why did people throw that in the sea, just recycle people, it is not that hard). I do wonder why they put the mountain right in front of their lookout/control room. Anyone could have seen that wouldn't end well. :P But I loved seeing them find ways to steer the island to the right path. Talk to people on helping, talk about how to use x item. It was so much fun and I was rooting for the Tindims to find a way. And then the ending part with what happens to Ethel B Dina was just exciting (though I had a laugh that she kept on singing despite the situation).

I also had a laugh at seeing the Tindims discuss what the various things they found meant. Like the label Water on a bottle, why would anyone bottle water? It had me giggling.

I loved the names for the various days in the week and I definitely would love to make Sharkday and Turtleday real. I am sure my hubbie agrees, especially on the Turtleday (he loves turtles).

We meet all the various Tindims that live on Rubbish Island. Each one has a job, each one collects something. From machinery to bottles to fishing.

There is also plenty of singing or mentions of singing and it really made me smile.

I would love to participate in the Brightsea Festival, it sounds like so much fun and I just love all the various lights they put up.

The art was just so much fun and I just ADORE the style. I would love to see more of it, so I am going to check out what more work the illustrator has done soon.

I had to read this one on my PC because it just didn't work on my Kindle. Which is logic given all the illustrations, but I would have liked a bit of a warning that it wouldn't work on a Kindle. My eyes don't like reading on phone/computer screens.

I really loved reading this one and I would highly recommend it. And please, very please, I would love more books about the Tindims!

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The Tindims of Rubbish Island is a sweet, funny story with an important environmental message.

There is lots to keep young readers entertained on every page and my six year old loved reading this with me. She joined in with the songs and loved the Tindims quirky habits and terminology.

The story itself is a delight to read and has a very important message at its heart. The Tindims are resourceful and considerate, and this story introduces themes of environmental conservation and recycling in a way that makes it easy for children to understand their importance. It's very hard to look at plastic bottles in the same way after reading about the Tindim's mountain. Their motto "Rubbish today is treasure tomorrow" is a great way of looking at waste, and will hopefully inspire lots of craft projects and upcycling.

This story is also filled with lovely artwork and the design is wonderful, making it a visual treat. Every page has some kind of design element, making this the perfect story for young readers who are ready to move beyond picture books to something a bit longer, but still enjoy having pictures and visuals to accompany the story.

I really hope the Tindims go on another adventure soon, as this would make a lovely series.

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The Tindims is the first in a series of publications by the mother and daughter pairing of Sally Gardner and Lydia Corry and it will appeal to young readers in spades. It tells the story of Skittle, Admiral Bonnet, Captain Spoons, Brew, Ethel B Dina and friends who are Tindims and they live on Rubbish Island. A quirky and heartwarming tale that should be on the reading shelf of all young readers with its important message for our future. I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Tindims are are tiny people, small in size but with a seriously big important job. The Tindims are recyclers. They collect things from the ocean that the Long Legs have thrown away and reuse it in their ordinary everyday lives a bit like modern day Wombles or The Borrowers. The illustrations that accompany the story show the exciting and innovative ways that the TIndims use the treasure they find in the ocean to create ordinary everyday things such as tables and chairs, clothing and even their own island. However, even the Tindims have noticed a big increase in the amount of plastic bottles that they keep hooking out of the ocean and this is concerning as bottle mountain is so tall that they can't see to steer their island which almost results in a total disaster.

This is a delightful, pacy read that will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers with it quirky style and likeable characters. I love how each chapter has a title that is a blurb of what is to come and the illustrations flesh out the story in such beautiful detail that I can't wait to see the final publication in full colour. My Kindle version had me flicking backwards and forwards to really appreciate the detail that will be on the final glossy pages.

The message is clear in this early chapter book for children aged 5 and up and there are suggested activities at the end of the story to help children understand the power that they have to change their future. It is a powerful message but not contrived and preachy in any way. I look forward to reading the rest in the series.

The Tindims of Rubbish Island is published by Head of Zeus on 03rd September 2020

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Skittle, Admiral Bonnet, Captain Spoons, Brew, Ethel B Dina and friends are Tindims and they live on Rubbish Island. They are diminutive in size but they have a very big and important job. You see, the Tindims are recyclers. They have been recyclers for a very long time , in fact they were recycling before the word recycle even existed. They collect things from the ocean that the Long Legs (they’re humans by the way) have thrown away. What is rubbish to the Long Legs is treasure to the Tindims. The entirety of Rubbish Island is built from the treasure that the Long Legs have thrown away. From tables made from driftwood to entire rooms made from plastic bottles, the Tindims are experts in rescuing, repurposing and reusing.

But there’s only so many plastic bottles that one island needs and the Long Legs have not got the message. Bottle Mountain has become so big on Rubbish Island that the Tindims can no longer see to navigate their way across the ocean. Everyone is excited when they find a piece of treasure that could solve the problem, but when things go wrong Ethel B Dina is blown out to sea. A daring rescue mission begins and it will need the help of some special fishy friends if it is to be a success…

The Tindims of Rubbish Island is a sweet story from mother and daughter duo Sally Gardner and Lydia Corry. Plastic is a huge problem in the world and unless we do something about it things are only going to get worse. This delightful read is quirky, fun and packs a very important message. The Tindims show and tell young readers how to protect the planet. Whether it be from simply using less plastic or to repurposing what they use, The Tindims have no end of imaginative ways to use the treasure that they find in the ocean.

What starts out as treasure becomes so common in the ocean that it even starts to lose its appeal to the Tindims. This is a sad but accurate reflection of the amount of plastic waste that is in the oceans.

The book has lots that will appeal to young readers. I love the matter-of-fact chapter titles that do exactly as they say. The songs and verse that are featured throughout are engaging and catchy (and will hopefully be remembered and sung), “Plastic bottles Long Legs please, they’re not meant to float in seas.” The illustrations are a delight and feature on every page - I particularly like the illustrations of the entirety of Rubbish Island where you can see it in all its repurposed and recycled glory. At the end of the book there are suggestions on what to do with a plastic bottle and a very important message to share at the beach.

A read that will surely attract the attention of the most reluctant readers. I would like to think that all young children will have the opportunity to read this book as the future of the planet is very much in their small hands. This is the first in a series of books featuring the Tindims and I very much look forward to reading their future recycling adventures. The Tindims of Rubbish Island is due for publication on 2nd September 2020.

Recommended for 5+.

With thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.

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