Carl and Minnie are two young children who adore trips to the tip located at the end of their street. Their parents describe the tip as ‘piles of other people’s refuse’. However, the children discover many treasures including a bicycle, a harpsichord and even an old flying machine. The text forewarns the reader with the line, ‘Carl and Minnie were always finding things that people didn’t want any more’. One day they find an old man and take him home.
Their parents worry about affording to keep an old man. Who would feed him and find him a place to live? The children suggest the train carriage in their backyard, obviously unnoticed until then by Mum. Carl and Minnie make the train carriage comfortable, retrieving items from the tip such as paintings, a gramophone with records to play and just for the old man, a pipe, a banjo and a hat.
The children and the old man visit frequently in the train carriage. The old man writes silly poems, makes toys and performs magic tricks. The children learn dances like the Foxtrot. The old man has an endless number of life stories, and Carl and Minnie are avid listeners. One day, Carl and Minnie wander out for a visit. This time the old man sits silently in his chair. The gramophone comes to a stop. The old man never wakes. Now Carl and Minnie sometimes visit the old train carriage and reminisce about the stories the old man shared. They continue to visit the tip and are ‘always surprised at what people throw away’.
The softly shaded watercolours in green, cream, gold and rose create a sense of satisfaction and warmth. The longish text often surrounds the artwork and deepens a viewer’s engagement in the shared activities. A double page wordless page reveals the old man’s memories of his childhood, people he has known, and battlefields featuring war and death. These he shares with the children.
The story is simple but subtle. It makes no explicit judgements. There are underlying messages about homelessness, the elderly without family or friends to care, and society’s attitudes towards these. As a story revealed through the children’s perspectives, engagement on a deeper level is possible.
Picture Books for Older Readers
