BookStudyDigest: November 2021

Gallimaufries and Great Stinks, Foggy Forests, and Quick-Witted Musicians

by JDC

Around the time stories were popping up everywhere about the disgusting situations caused by companies releasing untreated sewage into England's waterways and the sea, I came across this picture book that those in the UK government could learn something from. And they had plenty of time to do so, the book was released in the UK in 2020.

Illustration from 'The Great Stink', art by Nancy Carpenter, text by Colleen Paeff — *Illustration by Nancy Carpenter*

The combination of Colleen Paeff's words and Nancy Carpenter's marvelous illustrations is perfect for this true story of London in the 1800s when early in the century the city's population was growing by leaps and bounds, cholera epidemics became a regular visitor, and Parliament decided to try and rid the city of stench, which they thought caused cholera, by dumping human and animal waste along with other stinky things straight into the Thames. By the mid-1800s Joseph Bazalgette had become an engineer who aspired to make his native city a cleaner and healthier place. He finally got his chance in 1858 when the combination of the filthy river and hot summer weather made for a untenable situation Londoners called The Great Stink. Parliament finally coughed up the needed funding for the sewage system designed by Bazalgette.

A serious, even grim story is told with just the right balance of humor and witty irreverence in text and art. Paeff and Carpenter obviously did their research and there's plenty of detail and lots of fascinating facts worked into the story. Plus, there is an additional section about the water pollution situation today across the world which is getting worse because of lack of or aging infrastructure and climate change. There are also suggestions for steps that individual people can take to help, and books for further reading.

The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem - Colleen Paeff; illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021

Cover of 'The Great Stink' by Colleen Paeff, illus. Nancy Carpenter

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