Once a Wasteland

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

This is a story of a happy ending. But it didn’t start that way. The place? The Krejci salvage yard, in the Cuyahoga River valley between the Ohio cities of Cleveland and Akron. The problem? Pollution—and lots of it!

After decades of companies dumping industrial waste products in the salvage yard, the area had become so contaminated that nothing could live there. Wildlife died and people got sick. The Cuyahoga River was so polluted with toxic waste that it even caught fire! What could be done? The United States government stepped in, enforcing a full-scale cleanup of the dump that included the removal of nearly 400,000 tons of tainted soil. And then it was time to give the land a fresh start. New soil was brought in, and seeds were planted. After 25 years, the land was healed. Now the area where once nothing could live is part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Not only does the park provide a vibrant home to thriving diverse wildlife, it also serves as an example of how once-devastated environments can change, heal, and become places of beauty for all.

Author Biography

Diane Muldrow is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book series, and a prolific author of children’s books. Her picture book We Planted a Tree was a 2010 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best selection. She is a retired children’s book editor, and a proud Ohio University graduate. As a 6 1/2 year-old, she took part in the first Earth Day by helping clean up the creek and woods behind her Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home. She learned early that natural surroundings aren’t to be taken for granted, and that people can make a difference in their communities. Diane has visited national parks all over the country, the world, and near her Las Vegas, New Mexico, home. Amy Jindra Hodgson is an illustrator originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Growing up, her parents read to her every night, and she fell in love with the art of storytelling and creativity. She knew at a young age that her imagination and love for the arts would lead her to the world of children’s book illustration. Amy’s creative inspiration is driven by her wonderful family, friends, and good sushi. She now lives in Indiana, outside Chicago, with her husband and their loving giant Bernedoodle, Marley.