Toshi's Little Treasures

January 18, 2016
After receiving a backpack from his grandmother, a boy named Toshi accompanies her on walks through the forest, countryside, park, and more, during which they find numerous tiny “treasures” to collect. After each scene, children see a close-up of a dozen found objects (a riverside jaunt nets Toshi a crayfish claw, dragonfly wing, and fishing lure), which Robert asks readers to match with larger associated objects (a crayfish, dragonfly, and willow tree, in this case). Aki’s understated images quietly highlight the pleasures of outdoor sojourns (not to mention spending time with one’s elders). Given an ending that has Grandma tracking down her old childhood notebook, where she catalogued her own collected items, it’s a book that almost begs to be bought alongside a backpack and notebook for readers’ future collecting excursions. Ages 3–7.

February 1, 2016
On a series of walks with his grandmother, Toshi collects small treasures. This interactive book celebrates a favorite childhood activity. Toshi's understanding grandmother gives him a red backpack to store his finds, and off they go: to a nearby riverbank, into town, the forest, the countryside, the park, and the beach. After each double-page spread that shows them exploring each destination and labels some of Toshi's finds in context, there's a page of Toshi's treasures, identified, and a puzzle page of numbered and connected images. Answers, and a bit of further information, are in the back of the book. Toshi's discoveries may be man-made (a bottle cap, a coin) or natural (an empty snail shell, a feather). Aki's illustrations have the appearance of swift ink-and-watercolor sketches. With a few surprising exceptions (a crab's carapace is identified as a horseshoe crab's, and one picture of a gannet misplaces its yellow markings, among others), they're recognizable and reasonably accurate. Plastic dinosaurs and soda-can tabs can be found anywhere in this country, but the flora and fauna are more limited to the northeastern states and eastern Canada. (This title was originally published in French, in Quebec.) At the end, Toshi's grandmother (sadly, the illustrator emphasizes her wrinkles rather than her warmth) identifies some of the animals they saw on their trips. Readers can go back and find them in the various spreads. May prompt some treasure-seeking on the parts of readers, as well. (Informational picture/puzzle book. 4-10)

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February 1, 2016

PreS-K-A walk through any landscape with a small child can be a wondrous thing. A branch, an insect wing, a shard of pottery, and a soda can tab all become objects of fascination. In this book, Toshi receives a bright red backpack from Grandma, to hold all the things he gathers on their walks. The two stroll along a river, into town, and in the forest, among other locales. Each place is presented on a spread and is filled with small, carefully labeled items that a child might pick up. Conversations on these pages are limited to a statement and response-often Grandma identifying an object or one or the other making an observation. A page of larger images of the labeled "treasures" follows for children to match with something on an opposite page: for example, a gingko leaf pairs with a tree, a tuft of wool with a sheep, and so on. The book ends with pictures of other "Little (and Big)" things and animals that Grandma and readers may have noticed on these walks and additional, occasionally useful, information on some of the items they have spotted. Charming, delicate line-and-watercolor art against white pages features flat expanses of color denoting walkways, water, and seasonal foliage and loads of items to scout. VERDICT The stop, look, and identify character of the book echoes the leisurely, exploratory nature of the duo's walks and engenders repeat visits.-Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.