Paeff, Colleen. Great Stink, The: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem. Nancy Carpenter, Illus. Non-fiction. Simon & Schuster/ McElderry, 08/2021. [40]pp. $17.99. 978-1-5344-4929-9. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 1-4.
London in the 1800s smelled terrible—and people were dying of cholera—but the connection between the dread disease and contaminated water had yet to be made. This engaging nonfiction account introduces readers to Joseph Bazalgette, the man who designed London’s sewage system, an engineering marvel completed in 1865 that saved lives by carrying human waste away from the city center. The text informs, but never overwhelms, with whimsical drawings providing illuminating, often humorous, details. A show-stopping two-page spread requires readers to turn the book sideways to view a trench being dug beneath the street as Bazalgette dangles from a rope, waving his engineering plans. The book concludes with issues facing sewage systems today and offers solutions, including the building of green infrastructures. A great choice for both casual reading and reports, it has a detailed timeline, an author’s note, and reading suggestions appended.
Jenny Andrus, Independent