Lincoln ISBN 9781847809575 £14.99
This is a sumptuous picture book for older readers. It takes the form of a treasure hunt and centres around two children when they go to visit their great-aunt Martha for a holiday. She is not there, but her housekeeper, Jo, tells them about what has been planned. The idea is that they search the house for clues and eventually they will find the ‘treasure’. We then follow the children on their journey of discovery with each double page covering the contents of a room. Every room has a clue as to where you can find the next clue, so the children have to really look carefully at all the objects which have a ‘lift-the-flap’ element.
The illustrations are definitely the star in this book. They are meant to represent a large and old fashioned house, with a very American feel; think of something from the Victorian gothic style. The rooms are full of fascinating objects and the reader can spend hours poring over the images. You could almost say that the house is a museum in its own right and I know that it is the sort of place that invites us to be curious. Physically this is a very strong and well-constructed book and will survive heavy usage in the classroom, but, above all, it is a fascinating starting place to find out about so many fantastic objects and places. Definitely a book that I can keep coming back to. It is wonderful to just browse all the amazing images.
Margaret Pemberton
