A polluted industrial dumping ground. Nearly 400,000 tons of contaminated soil. And, after decades of restoration, a thriving national park.
In this special episode of Reading in the Middle, Annisha Jeffries guest-hosts the Ohio Center for the Book’s Page Count podcast for a conversation with author Diane Muldrow and illustrator Amy Jindra Hodgson about their nonfiction picture book, Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park.
The book tells the remarkable true story of the Krejci salvage yard in Northeast Ohio’s Cuyahoga River Valley. Once so contaminated that wildlife could not survive there, the land underwent an extensive environmental cleanup and was eventually restored as part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Diane and Amy discuss how they transformed a complex environmental history into an accessible story for young readers, researched the land’s recovery, illustrated the movement from pollution to renewal, and helped children understand that damaged environments can heal when people take responsibility and work together.
Selected as Ohio’s 2026 Great Reads from Great Places title for young readers and recognized as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, Once a Wasteland is a hopeful story about conservation, community action, environmental restoration, and the power of giving the natural world a fresh start.
Special thanks to Don Boozer and the Ohio Center for the Book for inviting Annisha to guest-host this meaningful conversation.
Listen to discover how one of Ohio’s most contaminated landscapes became a place filled with plants, wildlife, visitors, and possibility.
","author_name":"Annisha Jeffries"}