Treasure

Treasure, which has also been published in French as Trésor, is a charming story about two children who go into the woods looking for a treasure. They don’t know what the treasure will be until they find it. The little boy picks up a feather, an acorn and a milkweed pod, but his companion, a girl, isn’t impressed. It is only when they find a waterfall that they realize that this is the treasure.

The story is written from the child’s point of view. There are no adults in the book, and their absence may be problematic for some as children should not go exploring in the woods on their own.

The illustrations are well-done, but I could not work out whether there was a rainbow at the waterfall although the pink colour in the sky seems to suggest there is. The colours of the artwork are a bit somber but appropriate to the darkness found in a forest. The text appears on every second two-page spread, and there is a question and answer on the pages with the text. The little boy’s speech is a lighter black than the little girl’s which is more emphasized in colour intensity and size. Treasure would be a good story to read aloud.