HENRY AND THE HIDDEN TREASURE
by B.C.R. Fegan
Illustrated by Lenny Wen
TaleBlade
Picture Book
ages 4+
32 pages
With a focus on introducing children to the use of ordinal numbers, Henry and the Hidden Treasure also draws out some important qualities of being a kid – such as creativity, the value of listening to parental advice, and of course, being nice to your sister.
MY TIDBITS
This is a cute story packed full of adventure, creativity and the tricky problem of sibling relationships.
Henry has some money. Mom and Dad want him to put it in the bank, but he's got a better idea. He's going to hide it. It's his secret ninja sister, who will be the biggest problem. Off he goes to create the perfect hiding spot--mazes, booby traps and monster guards. But that little sister isn't easy to stop no matter how fantastic his hiding spot may be.
A super confusing maze, dangerous traps and a ferocious guard pig (got to love the pig!)--this book is a kid's super-duper hiding spot come true. The challenges Henry dreams up to protect his treasure are something kids will completely understand, and probably have 'built' something similar once on their own. If not, they're going to want to give it a try after diving into these pages.
Not only does creativity and imagination take flight, but this is a sweet story about siblings. Sometimes they're enemies, but not completely and not always. The relationship between Henry and Lucy puts a smile on the face and is very true to life. And to top it off, there are some warm, fuzzy feelings too.
The illustrations are colorful and fun to glance through. The characters are nicely depicted and bring the written situations to life. They are great for simply flipping through, when no one happens to be around to help read aloud, and have enough humor to draw giggles all on their own.
The writing is well done. It's kept short, and lets the adventure and fun remain front and center. The wording is simple enough for young listeners to understand and get lost in the tale. It's fun to guess what the next page might hold, since Henry has come up with a new idea on every spread. The lovely ending rounds off the story, promising one last, big smile. And then, kids will demand to have the book read to them again.
And here he is. . .
BCR Fegan is an award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.
Raised on a small hobby farm only minutes from some of Australia’s greatest beaches, Fegan grew up inspired by the power of natures ambience. From the intensity of the frequent summer storms, to the overwhelming serenity of a lonely beach in the early hours of the morning. His ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short stories, poems and picture books
As time wore on, Fegan also found inspiration in the magic and depth of authors and compositors like Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. He was mesmerised by the potency of small but beautiful phrases that were carefully carved from the minds of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert Frost. He grew to appreciate the worlds meticulously created by David Eddings, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.
Eventually, he began to forge his own complete works. Weaving his own magic, piecing together his own phrases and crafting his own worlds. Agonising over plots that would inspire, characters that would be loved and circumstances that would delight. In time, his efforts saw a number of children’s books and young adult fiction produced. Through the efforts of TaleBlade Press, these works are now being published with that same careful dedication.
You can find out more about BCR Fegan at his website: http://www.bcrfegan.com/
or more at. . .
- Publisher website: http://www.taleblade.com/
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