Garbage Gulls

Garbage Gulls is a gorgeously rendered poetic tribute to childhood summers in all their messy, hazy glory. The book follows two children spending summer in “The Sea”, a parking lot in a seemingly otherwise empty town. The two lay a trap for the seagulls that hover nearby, spreading chip crumbs and ketchup around the junked car in which they are sitting in the hopes of attracting the scavenging gulls. When the birds descend on the car, their huge flock manages to carry the car and its child passengers magically off through the sky, eventually depositing the children on a sandy beach. There, they play joyfully in the water, embracing the cool, satisfying waves after the sticky humidity of their town. When the children are done playing, they return to the junked car which has been magically transported back to the parking lot, with the only indication left of their journey being the mounds of bird poo painting the car’s exterior.

Dorson Plourde’s writing and Isabella Fassler’s illustrations function as a perfectly complementary pair, painting a vivid sensory portrayal of summer and its aimless sense of play for children not yet bogged down with life’s responsibilities. Plourde’s writing transcends childhood verse and moves to full blown poetry while still remaining simple enough for young readers to understand its meaning and relate to its emotion. Fassler’s illustrations are similarly bold and visceral, making readers feel the heat of the summer, the sticky car seats, the oozing ketchup and salty chip crumbs. Glossy individual details in the book’s cover jacket add to the overall impression of a thoughtfully constructed ode to the summers of childhood.