1. Art
2. Daughters
3. Environment
4. Fathers
5. Imagination
6. Mothers
7. Nature
8. Recycling
9. Sculpture
10. Sustainability
11. Visual literacy

‘Greta the Garbo’ is a book about recycling with a whimsical fairytale vibe. It is also a book about thinking outside the square. Greta loves collecting junk of all sorts. Unfortunately, this doesn’t sit well with her neat-as-a-pin parents, which is why, rather than calling his daughter ‘Greta the Greenie’, her father refers to her as ‘Greta the Garbo’. But when the council threatens to turn their local park into a theme park rather than a nature reserve, it is Greta and her junk that save the day.

Sibley’s artwork features a brooding colour palette, detailed illustrations with plenty for sharp-eyed readers to spot, and endpapers that bookend the visual narrative. ‘Greta the Garbo’ provides an interesting twist on environmental themes that should provoke discussions about what should be preserved and what useful things can be done with the piles of rubbish people produce on a daily basis.

1. ‘Irena Sibley’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_Sibley
2. Royal Academy of Art. ‘Family how-to: make a recycled sculpture’ https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/family-how-to-make-recycled-sculpture-art-kids-phyllida-barlow-sustainable
3. Tomorrow’s World Today. 25 July 2018. ‘Recycled Art: Turning Trash into Treasure’ https://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/2018/07/25/recycled-art-turning-trash-into-treasure/