MAGGIE’S TREASURE by Jon-Erik Lappano & Kellen Hatanaka - a book about treasure collecting and community

Why this book?

My students are always finding all kinds of treasures, so I know they will love this book! I especially connected with the idea of noticing the small or unused things in the world and thinking about how they could be used or re-used. The illustrations are bold and colourful with a fun, distinctive style. 

My thoughts as a creator:

There are some lovely phrases in this story. One of my favourites is, “Maggie saw the sparkle in everything.” A nice book to study when thinking about using your observations of the world to add details to a story.

My thoughts as an educator:

The theme of helping the community is always great to promote activism and encourage students to create their own projects!  It would be interesting to discuss the main ideas in this story in comparison with the picture book Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell with illustrations by Rafael Lopez.

Ages: 4 - 7

Grades: K - 3

Connections: re-using materials, collections, helping the community

Activities:

Active Play & Math – Go on a hunt outside (or inside) to find treasures. Encourage children to sort their “treasures” in different ways. Listen as they explain their reasoning for how they sorted them.

Building Community: What might happen if everyone in the class brought one toy or book they didn’t want any more? Could they be given to others or exchanged with each other?

Community Art Project: Encourage everyone in the class to bring in one “treasure” to glue onto a large board or canvas to create a class art project to display in the classroom.

Create – Give children a small collection of “treasures” such as paper scraps, wood scraps, buttons, pieces of cloth, and string or yarn and some glue and drawing materials. What can they make? A prompt question might be: Can you make something useful? Another creative project might be for everyone in the class to bring in one “treasure” to glue together into

Social-Emotional Learning – Brainstorm with children and help them make a list of things they can do to help someone else. Choose one project to work on together.

Classroom Tip: Keep a “scrap bin” of interesting paper bits that children can use for creating at a Maker’s Centre or when finished their work.

 

More resources:

Child Central Station has a fun Trash to Treasure art activity to try.

Description from the publisher:

Maggie finds treasure wherever she goes. Whether it’s a button, a feather or a shiny stone, she picks it up and takes it home. At first the neighbors and city workers are grateful to Maggie for cleaning up; the mayor even gives her an award. But over time Maggie’s collection grows bigger and bigger, until it spills out of her house and garden in an unsightly mess. Her parents tell her “Enough treasure!” and eventually even Maggie realizes that something must be done. Finally, inspired by a bird outside her window, she finds a way to share her treasure that enchants and transforms the entire neighborhood.

Maggie’s Treasure by Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka was published by Groundwood Books in 2020.

 

For more wonderful picture books, visit Perfect Picture Book Friday at Susanna Leonard Hill's website.