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And Then We Saw the Bag . . .: Trash to Them, Treasure to Us

by Emma Adbage

A rescue mission for the things adults call clutter

Regular price $16.47 USD
Regular price $27.45 USD Sale price $16.47 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A rescue mission for the things adults call clutter

After the sisters discover a bag of discarded belongings, a tidy house becomes the starting point for a family clash over what deserves to be kept. Their search brings them back to treasured odds and ends—including a piece of wood with an important place in their imaginative world. Emma Adbage’s story uses this disagreement to explore children’s play, attachment to keepsakes, and the question of who gets to decide what matters. The humor grows from the gap between the adults’ view of the items as broken or unimportant and the meaning the sisters give them.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 4–8 interested in humorous family stories
  • Young readers who enjoy stories about imaginative play and treasured objects
  • Families looking for a story that opens conversation about tidying and deciding what to keep

Themes

Family power dynamicsImaginative playKeepsakes and attachmentWhat counts as valuable

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A laugh-out-loud story about kid-parent power dynamics, the vital importance of play, and saving what matters. Because who really decides what is trash and what is a beloved toy? And what would happen if adults didn't always get their way?

"Emma AdBage KNOWS families, doesn't she? Deeply funny and scathingly true. A tale for any kid who has 'rescued' their beloveds from willfully obtuse adults." Betsy Bird, School Library Journal Contributor, Author, and Librarian

When the two sisters come home, they notice it right away. The house is too empty. Too tidy. And it smells . . . clean. The parents claim they've just dusted and picked a little, but in the hall there's a black bag, filled with all sorts of "unimportant" and "broken" items.

A rescue operation is immediately launched! A favorite eraser, a beloved trinket box with sand from a vacation and a mini pen from another vacation are dug up. But worst of all - Woody! A piece of wood that's more than just a stick. It's a baby cousin, a friend, and part of the family! How could their parents even think of throwing him away?! The sisters have to do something about this...
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