How to Find Gold

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 6, 2017

Review

Recommending for Cream consideration. A young dark-skinned girl named Anna and her friend, a crocodile, take a walk and decide to find some treasure. They discuss their facial expressions, how much gold weighs and where to search. After some time drawing their ideas, they come to the conclusion that all gold is not buried, but sunken! They take a trip on a boat that resembles some of their drawings and they dive deep into the caverns to a sunken ship being held to the bottom by a huge blue octopus. After finding the treasure, they decide to bury the booty along with the map that shows where to find it! The two friends walk away satisfied with their imaginative adventure. Schwarz's pencil, crayon and watercolor illustrations create the magic in this picture book by add layers of meaning to the simply stated story line. The character's playfulness, movement, and expression are created from the use of singular color and minimal lines. At other times, full blown chaos with sea creatures and pounding waves in dark-colored washes and waxy crayon hues show the depth of the adventure. Speaks to many levels of imaginative play.

Overall Book Score: excellent