Nonfiction Monday: What Can you Do with an Old Red Shoe

Dewey: 745.5








What Can you Do with an Old Red Shoe: a green activity book about reuse by Anna Alter, Henry Holt, 2009

The stereotype about folks who lived through the Great Depression is that they never throw anything away; they reuse foil and twine. They patch and mend clothes instead of throwing them away and harvest fabric from old clothing for quilt patches.

This book suggests many ways to reuse and recycle including ways to use old wrapping paper, t-shirts, crayons, shower curtains, and flip flops in craft projects. It suggests where to share toys that have been out grown and participation in recycling efforts in the community.

Even if you do not turn an old shoe into a planter, the book should cause the reader to pause and reflect on our disposable, throw-away society.

The Great Depression is never far from my own thoughts as the economy continues to sink below the surface. These projects may come in very handy indeed in the not so distant future.

In fact, I think I will go wash and smooth some foil and maybe start a rubber band ball now.

Today's NonFiction Monday Roundup is at The Art of Irreverence.