Steadfastly maintaining self-respect in spite of their derogation by others, the three protagonists [of Mrs Fish, Ape, and Me, the Dump Queen]—Joyce, "Ole Dad" and Mrs. Fish—have a great deal to teach readers of any age.

Joyce, the central character who tells the story, lives with her uncle, Ole Dad, in a garbage dump, of which he is the caretaker. Together, they recycle old garbage into useful forms, critically eyeing the materialism and wastefulness of others. Ole Dad is a positive, nurturing single male parent, still a rarity in children's books.

Each of the three central characters must face the challenge of enduring the age-old sport of name-calling, and children who have experienced this indignity for any reason will find new strength from this story. Due to his short frame, large head and long arms, Ole Dad is tauntingly referred to as "Ape Man" by town residents. Joyce herself is rejected and harassed by classmates for living in a dump. Other children call her "Dump Queen" and "Cootie Queen"; chants are created about her, and at one point, students stuff vile-smelling garbage into her desk….

What is remarkable about Joyce is her ability to remain proud and uncompromised, in spite of her loneliness. This loneliness is eased, however, with the arrival of Mrs. Fish, a temporary custodial worker at the school. This large, loving, somewhat eccentric woman creates a shelter for Joyce in her small basement office, and offers her both strength and humor.

Like the other two protagonists, Fish is stigmatized by classist and bigoted attitudes…. Her response to name-calling is a consistent one: "Tush on them all!" Joyce responds to her with great admiration….

Ultimately, Mrs. Fish meets Ole Dad, who is initially belligerent and suspicious of strangers and seems jealous of Joyce's undisguised love for her new surrogate parent. When he has a stroke, however, he is forced to spend time with Mrs. Fish, who begins to spend weekends at the dump, helping Joyce to maintain and sort the garbage. The relationship that eventually develops between Ole Dad and Mrs. Fish constitutes a moving subplot; the struggle Ole Dad has in overcoming his insecurities and lack of trust in order to experience a growing love is especially touching.

The heart of the story lies in the process of these three individuals beginning to work as a unit, drawing deeply on each other's goodness and individuality, with the mutual understanding that their relationships are far more important than validation from an unsympathetic outer world…. The author tackles the problem of being different with tremendous success, and gives her characters the ego-strength and values to be invulnerable to others' judgements.