The Little Red Stroller
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
The Little Red Stroller by Joshua Furst is a story about the cycle of giving that exists within a community. A red stroller is passed down from family to family, having adventures and serving many children. By the time the stroller is completely worn out, it is replaced a new stroller likely to continue moving through families in the same way as the first.
We love this story partly because it highlights families of various types and backgrounds doing regular family things. We also love this story because of the message of giving and how the act of giving leads to more giving. It’s an awesome cycle we would love to see replicated the world over. We also love the nod to reducing the impact of consumerism. Both contributors to Jojo’s Book Club are avid thrifters - constantly on the hunt for a new-to-us find to satisfy our urges to purchase while limiting the harmful effects of mass production of new things.
This story invites the reader to think about the long life of the products we have in our world. If Luna and those in her community had not passed this stroller around, it would have ended up in an ever-growing dump. This is a great story to introduce the idea of consumerism, reducing our purchases and reusing what we have or sharing it with others.
Some Things to Think About…
What happens to things you no longer need? Where do they go?
How will we deal with all the trash we have already created? What will happen if we run out of room?
How does it feel to give to someone else? How does it feel to receive from others?
What do you do to reduce the amount of waste you create?
illustrated by Katy Wu
