THE PILE OF JUNK

An old rubber tire, a pillow with stuffing dripping, a mopless handle, some earless cups and threadless spools, a can of purple paint and some old jars were tossed out in one fell swoop by the little old lady who was housecleaning. What good was an old pile of junk anyway? For the imaginative listener that is an obvious question and one that is perfectly answered as each passerby discovers some excellent use for each component of this special junk heap. The tire is converted into a swimming tube by two lucky young boys. The jars and the purple paint combine to make three beautiful vases for three delighted little girls. The pillow and the mopless handle join forces to make a scarecrow for one happy farm couple -- and so on through the maze of sundries down to the bottomless pot. Harvey Weiss' spritely and colorful pictures, so often an accompaniment to Miss Schelein's stories, reflect both the comedy and downright good sense of a tale with special appeal for every lighthearted scavenger and tinkerer.