Treasure by Mireille MessierMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Beautiful artwork and lots of colour is found in Mireille Messier's children's book Treasure. A good length for a bedtime story and doesn't have any huge moments that might over excite children for a nap or sleep read.
Unfortunately I didn't love the content of this story. A little girl goes looking for treasure and asks her mother many times if something from nature is the 'treasure'. Things like a flower, rock, etc. Eventually the 'treasure' is a hidden, special waterfall. I didn't really like that the other items prior to that (which might be considered treasures to many) were dismissed as not treasure. I also didn't like that the waterfall, which is an intangible thing, was called treasure. I realize the point here is likely to teach children that physical objects or items aren't the only kind of treasure in the world; but it felt a bit forced to me. I would have preferred to have the mother say that while an item can be someone's treasure it's not HER treasure.
This change would allow for children to learn:
a) anything can be treasure, not just objects (especially nature items!),
b) treasure is special to each person,
c) treasure can be special in it's own way. For example: not all treasure is equal or even the same (ie: gold coin versus waterfall).
While I don't think there is any harm in the way this story is set-up for children; it's just not the way I would have done it.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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1 comment:
It does sound alike a strange story. I think a child would consider a rock or shell they can take home and keep much more of a 'treasure' than a waterfall (although of course, it's good to realize that not all treasure can be taken home!).
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