Emma's Gems

Emma’s Gems is a sweet tale of a young girl who learns the importance of kindness and giving from her grandfather. The story centres on young protagonist, Emma, as she goes about her day with her grandfather, Phil. Emma always knows Grandpa Phil is coming by the jingle of coins in his pocket. Until today, though, she never knew that Grandpa Phil always carries three stones in his pocket as well. Each one is a reminder to commit an act of kindness each day: one for a person, one for an animal, and one for the planet. As each act is completed, the stone changes pockets. His example inspires Emma to commit to kindness herself, and grabbing some beads (her “gems”), Emma embarks on a mission to complete her own three acts of kindness.

Though perhaps not the most exciting plot, Emma’s Gems has a sentimentality to it that will appeal to the empathetic, but it is not a title I see children being particularly drawn to plot-wise, though I can see many adults wanting to read it to the children in their lives. The story was originally written in French and was translated by the author. The language used is exceedingly straightforward. It lacks the beauty and nuance that some look for in a picture book, but the simple language does serve to create an easily understandable narrative which works for this book. Emma’s Gems clearly has a purpose and was created with the intention of teaching a lesson. Often this doesn’t work for picture books that use a heavy hand to try to convey a message or teach a lesson, but Emma’s Gems leans into it. It is so clearly about the lesson that it works.

While the plot may not be as appealing to children as it is to adults, the bright, watercolour illustrations are likely to draw little ones in. The ink linework has a sketchy quality to it, and the watercolour sometimes spills over the lines, and sometimes doesn’t completely fill them. This is clearly done with purpose and gives the drawings a sense of energy and fun. The illustrations are bright, accented by lots of white space, and Franson has chosen a vibrant colour palette of pinks, yellows, blues, and greens that seem to reflect the colours of Emma’s gems. Emma and the other characters in the book are expressive and dynamic. There is a mix of two-page spreads, single pages, and pages composed of multiple separate elements. Each of these elements serves to highlight what is happening in the story and often will use visual clues to indicate the music of coins in a pocket or the path of a gem from one pocket to another.

Emma’s Gems is not necessarily a first purchase, but it would be a good addition to libraries hoping to up their kindness/empathy content. It would also be a good purchase for libraries who serve a lot of daycares and preschools as this is the type of material that is often popular with ECE workers and others who work with children.