The Treasure Box

When the enemy bombs the library, all of the books are destroyed except for the one Peter's father has checked out. A true treasure, the book tells the story of their people, and when the father and son must flee, they take it with them. The travails of the road prove too much for Peter's father, and the young boy must bury him by the wayside, and carry on alone. Eventually the box with the book in it grows too heavy for him, and he buries it underneath a linden tree, intending to return for it one day...

A moving exploration of the hardships of war, and the importance of keeping one's traditions and culture alive, even in the most difficult times, The Treasure Box is just the latest thought-provoking book I have read from Australian show more author Margaret Wild, who seems to specialize in children's stories that explore difficult concepts, from the necessity of both joy and sorrow for a true sense of being alive (The Stone Lion) to the intersection of mental illness and dystopian futures (Woolvs In the Sitee). The illustrations by Freya Blackwood, an artist whose work I absolutely love - The Selkie and the Fisherman is possibly my favorite, although all of her books are lovely - are simply beautiful, and something a little bit different from many of her earlier titles. I seem to recall that her artwork in earlier works is painted (watercolor, I think?), whereas here there are both painted and collage elements, with bits of text worked in to each scene. Some of this text, according to information on the colophon, is taken from foreign-language editions of Australian author Morris Gleitzman's books, but some is in English, and is apropos to the scene in question. When bits of paper rain down, after the library has been bombed, they contain words like "ever forget," "hope," "sang," and "great empty."

A powerful and poignant book, with a moving story and gorgeous artwork, The Treasure Box is one I would highly recommend to anyone searching for children's tales addressing themes of war, loss, survival, and keeping hope and tradition alive. show less

The Treasure Box delivers brave and beautiful compassion in the face of war and destruction.

Truly one for all ages...

Wonderful, picturesque book on the trauma of war, the fragility of life, and the love of the written world. It is a battle cry for preserving your heritage and a reminder that bombs can not destroy the human.

This is a good book for intermediate students. It tells the story of a man named Peter who had to leave his home country due to the dangers and threats of war. While he and his father are leaving, his father places a special book that tells the story of their people into an iron treasure box. Peter’s father passes away, and Peter carries the treasure box with him, burying it at a small town and returning when he is an adult to uncover it and place it into a library for others to read. This was a helpful book because it shows the reality that refugees may face when leaving their home countries, it was a sad book, but it contains very powerful and important concepts. I would use this book by reading it aloud to students to show them show more another example of what others may endure and to show the importance of keeping stories from history alive and valued. show less

As a boy, Peter and his father experience the aftermath of a war which destroyed not only their homes but, their public library as well. The most prized possession Peter’s father felt they had left was the only book that survived in the library. At his tender age, Peter didn’t realize how important that book was to his father. The book was about their people and Peter’s father in trusted him with it so that it would remain safe. The medium used for the illustration was a collage of pages that were most likely what remained of the library books in their language. Interesting enough, Freya Blackwood also uses white outlining and shadowing when she wants to emphasize drawn images to the readers. This technique instantly draws your show more focus in. Though most of the illustrations were colored in dull depressing shades, her technique made a big difference. show less

The art bumps it up a star. But I do have a quibble... even though this is a children's book, I believe it's worth saying that the book has value as an object as much as for its content, and should not simply be put back on the shelf. Ideally it gets reprinted and new copies put in all the libraries, and the original gets archived. I do believe children can understand & appreciate that.

Good book shedding light on immigration to the United States. Easy to read for students of all ages.