A Pocket Can Have a Treasure in It (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: A Pocket Can Have a Treasure in It Deborah Stevenson Stinson, Kathy; A Pocket Can Have a Treasure in It; illus. by Deirdre Betteridge. Annick, 2008; [32p] Library ed. ISBN 978-1-55451-126-6 $18.95 Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-55451-125-9 $6.95 Reviewed from galleys R 2–4 yrs “A barn can have . . . a horse in it. And a house can have a ‘me’ in it.” And lots of other things can have something in them, too, in this playful combination of concept book and story. The catalogue of things and their possible contents describes elements of the rural home and lively day of a little girl, while illustrations reveal the bigger underlying story—that this is the day the little girl’s new baby sibling comes home. The text runs on a little long, but it makes good use of rhythm and teasing variation (“Can a sock have a head in it? No!”), and there are gentle touches of poetry in the shifting uses of the concept (“A window can have a sun in it”). Spare, free-flowing pen lines set off washy hues textured by the nubbly paper, with copious white space and generously sized print making the pages inviting and accessible; aside from carrying the brunt of the storyline, the images have a gentle jokiness (“Can a tree have a cow in it?” plays a perspective trick that puts a grazing Holstein in the distance just on the top of a tree in the foreground). The combination of mild adventure and cozy wind-down makes this a likely bedtime book as well as a title that’s sure to prompt kids to play the same game in their own homes. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois