Thank you, Kelly Bagdanov, for sending me a copy of Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco. What a sweet, kind, and fun children’s book!

Okay, so normally I don’t read children’s books. Nor do I write reviews on them. But this one is worth the time for a couple of reasons.

First, it has the name junkyard in it! As the book says, the junkyard is not a place for things nobody wants. Instead, “Oh, it is a place full of wondrous possibilities!” Couldn’t agree more!

But second and more importantly, this is a sweet book about being different when you are a kid. The cast of children characters range from the completely mute to the dyslexic to those with Tourette’s. Yet they become a “tribe” and learn to work with each others strengths.

And the best part? It’s basically a true story.

This is a wonderful little book, a perfect gift for the child in your life. But beware, after reading it they will definitely want to visit a junkyard.