Junkyard by Mike Austin – Children’s Book Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of Junkyard by Mike Austin book from Simon and Schuster for review.

Junkyard by Mike Austin is a children’s book starring some junk eating robots that will appeal to little boys everywhere.

Cleaning Up the Mess

The story begins in a messy junkyard with stuff piled everywhere.

Of course, it needs to be cleaned up and the robots – the Munching Machines – are up to the job.

They get to work by “munching” all of the junk. Tires, old planes, and buses, even old toilets.

Slowly we begin to see the ground and open space.

And when the junk is gone, they sweep up for good measure.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Creating Something Wonderful

Now “It’s time for something new.”

The robots plant trees and flowers. The plan includes a playground, playing fields, and tennis courts. Places to swim and hike.

And when it is done, they invite people to join their fun.

Junkyard by Mike Austin Promotes Environmental Awareness

In the children’s book, Junkyard, Mike Austin has not only created an entertaining story but included a message about caring for the environment.

As parents, we can use the info on an even smaller scale. When it is time to clean the playroom – well, we can pretend we’re Munching Machines.

I found the illustrations to be colorful and eye catching.

At times, especially in the junkyard scenes they remind me a bit of the 70’s toy Twirl O Paint that is similar to today’s Magic Spin Art.

The point being that the colors are layered on top of each other, creating a bit of depth to an otherwise 2 dimensional medium.

The author Mike Austin is an accomplished author and illustrator.

His inspiration for this story came from an unauthorized and sneaky childhood trip to a local junkyard in search of spare parts for a go-cart.

The trip was cut short by the surprise appearance of an opossum but the memory lived on.

Have You Read Junkyard by Mike Austin?

Have you read this children’s book? What do you think?

More Children’s Book Reviews

• Octopus’s Garden by Ringo Starr
• Yellow is My Color Star by Judy Horacek
• Sweet Dreams by Jewel
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