That is the title of a book I owned written by Renee Bartkowski and published in 1972. My parents bought me the book and I read and reread it cover to cover. It was a short story, written in humorous poetry with an incredible lesson.
The story was written to help children learn in a way they will remember. The message is clear. Cleaning up the environment is everyone's job.
The book made an impact on me. I remember the story, remember the rhymes and every single time I think about throwing something on the ground, I imagine what it would be like if everyone did the same thing.
In the forward of the book, this was written: "This way of presenting it may be clever enough to really make an impact on boys and girls."
It did me.
With the discussion at city council regarding litter in Weyburn, I took a drive and really looked at the streets.
The book's rhyme came back to me along with the illustrations. There was a picture of a rosy cheeked little boy with a red ball cap standing amongst a knee-high pile of pop cans in the middle of a park.
"Freddy Frank always drank
Fizzy, sweet soda pop.
He'd drink a few cans every day.
Then he'd toss the cans down in the park in the town,
Every time that he'd go there to play.
"Now why should I care if a can's here or there,
The park won't look bad," he'd remark.
But if folks everywhere
Tossed their cans over there,
Then we'd soon have a pop can park."
It's as simple as finding a trash can, the streets are lined with them. There are garbage cans in every park. If you're driving, don't throw stuff out the window. Hold on to it until you get home.
Weyburn is where we live. We need to keep it clean. I don't want to live in a trash heap and I'm guessing you don't either.
"For we don't want a paper cup brook flowing by
Or a slippery banana peel street
Or sucker sticks growing on the lawns near our homes -
So let's keep our lovely world neat."
