Inside the small bowl of your hands, I see your treasure.
A mother and child explore a deserted beach on a windy day. It is an afternoon they will both treasure, always.
This gorgeous, immersive tale is as much about the experiences we share as it is about the objects we find and cherish along the way. Little Treasure is a poetic and tender book about how the small moments spent together are often the most precious.
Chanelle Gosper’s lyrical, slow-moving prose perfectly captures the wonder and magic of play, and the limitless possibility of the imagination that seems to expand even further at the beach.
There is something magical about seaside trips at a certain age that I’m sure we all remember – the sense of reckless abandon that comes with having all that sand and water to run through. I remember wishing those days spent building sandcastles and collecting seashells would stretch on forever. Gosper does a phenomenal job of capturing that expansive feeling of awe and wonder in the pages of this picture book.
Perhaps what is most touching about this book is the way the mother and child are both folded into the shared imaginative adventure. The story is narrated from the perspective of the mother figure, as though directly addressing the young child, which will make this an extra special experience for mothers reading aloud to their children.
Jennifer Goldsmith’s captivating illustrations are the perfect accompaniment, full of colour and character. The movement of the people and creatures is beautifully conveyed, and her whimsical linework is so well-suited, sliding effortlessly between the beach setting and the fanciful world of the characters’ imaginations.
Goldsmith beautifully portrays great expanses of coastline, married with the sweetest minutiae – you could spend hours just poring over the images, and they’re sure to instill a greater appreciation of the natural world in young readers. I particularly loved keeping an eye out for the cheeky crabs and expressive seagulls!
This warm, lush picture book will touch the hearts of children and parents alike, with its poetic observations about the unbreakable bond between mother and child and its reminder to treasure every moment together. It’s sure to be a bedtime favourite – one that parents and children alike will enjoy returning to, discovering new details in the language and illustrations each time.
Little Treasure would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift for any special mother figures in your life.
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