The All New Must Have Orange 430, by Michael Speechley

About 18 months ago I really started getting into the minimalism movement. Baby #4 came along and we realised we would be staying in the same house, but that we could not keep all the things we had been holding onto. As a part of becoming an attempted minimalist I have been trying to teach my kids how to let go of things they no longer use and how to live with less.

One important part of this is teaching the kids what to purchase in the first place. I have tried a few things to try to teach them how to use money wisely and how to avoid buyer’s regret. A couple of times I have taken them to a market and given them each $5 and let them choose how or if they want to spend it. It gives me a chance to discuss with them the value of items and to show them what is junk and what is not.

So when I heard about The All New Must Have Orange 430 it went straight on my to be read list. The story is about a boy called Harvey who saves up and spends his money on the ‘latest’ and ‘greatest’ new product, the Orange 430, from Useless Object International. Harvey soon realises his beloved purchase is not really good for anything and he gets into a queue to return it, along with a bunch of other kids returning their products.

We found the author’s message fairly obvious and understandable, especially for the primary schoolers: be wise in your spending, there is lots of junk being produced which is cleverly marketed. Plus be aware of the environmental impact of the trash you willingly purchase. We were able to have a great discussion about what has real value.

This book is a must for all primary schools. It will be of great value to teachers who are covering issues such as the environment, marketing or design. This PDF is a fun resource that parents could also easily use at home to further explore the themes of this great book. Maybe a good one for the upcoming school holidays.