What a Treasure!

by Jane Hillenbrand, Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Overview

Dig deep with Mole to uncover the best treasures of all in this Guided Reading Level G story.
 
Hunting for buried treasure, Mole unearths a twig. It's not much use to him, but a bird flying by wants it for a nest. When he discovers a shell, Mole gives it to Snail for a cozy home. Happy to share, Mole keeps digging, and uncovers—another hole, with another little mole in it. A new friend—what a treasure indeed.
 
Brightly colored illustrations enhance this simple story about friendship, sharing, and perseverance, created by husband and wife team Jane and Will Hillenbrand. Perfect for sharing with your own treasured friends, this is an ideal read-aloud for emerging readers.
 
The award-winning I Like to Read® series focuses on guided reading levels A through G, based upon Fountas and Pinnell standards.  Acclaimed author-illustrators—including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Coretta Scott King honors—create original, high quality illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read with parents, teachers, or on their own!
 
For early-to-mid first grade readers, Level G books feature more complex storylines than prior levels, and a wider variety of structure and punctuation.  Illustrations offer support for decoding the more challenging vocabulary words introduced.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823439874
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/16/2018
Series:	I Like to Read Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jane Hillenbrand is an elementary school teacher. What a Treasure! was her first picture book. Publishers Weekly called it a "warm look at appreciating the small, often unexpected, joys in one's life." She lives in Ohio with her husband, Will Hillenbrand.

Will Hillenbrand has illustrated a wide range of picture books for children, including many he has written himself. Spring Is Here won the Please Touch Museum Book Award. Kite Day was proclaimed "a winner for story times" in a School Library Journal starred review. Off We Go! was declared "a winner all around" in a Kirkus starred review. Will lives with his wife, Jane Hillenbrand, in Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

* "Have shovel, will dig. Such is the simplicity of young Mole’s experiences in this warm look at appreciating the small, often unexpected, joys in one’s life."―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This simply told story has what it takes to entertain the youngest story-time audience: eye-catching illustrations; a straightforward, good-natured narrative with some well-placed repetitions; lots of digging; and a gratifying ending."―The Horn Book

 "Told with minimal text, this book celebrates friendship while quietly calling attention to the fact that treasure is relative." —School Library Journal

"The day that Mole gets his new shovel, he starts to dig for treasure despite his brother betting that he won’t find any.  The first things Mole finds is a twig (which a bird thinks is a treasure).  Digging further, he finds a shell (treasure to a snail), an acorn (treasure to a squirrel) and finally, another hole where a little mole pops up―a real treasure: a friend for Mole."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Have shovel, will dig. Such is the simplicity of young Mole's experiences in this warm look at appreciating the small, often unexpected, joys in one's life. Armed with his new shovel and a miner's lighted hardhat, Mole sets to digging for treasure. A twig, a shell and an acorn don't seem to be what he's looking for, but Bird, Snail and Squirrel, respectively, find the items, given to them by Mole, mighty useful. At last, Mole comes upon a treasure of no comparison: a friendly mole digging in the opposite direction. Jane Hillenbrand's debut picture book shines with a feel-good, spare text that goes right to the heart of universal childhood emotions. Will Hillenbrand's (Don't Kiss the Cow) mixed-media artwork exudes a lighthearted tone via boldly outlined shapes and sweetly anthropomorphized characters. The varying textures and hues in his palette add depth and suffuse the proceedings with a happy glow. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-K-Almost everyone loves to dig for treasure, and when Mole gets his new shovel, he starts immediately. He finds a twig, a shell, and an acorn, and it turns out that these things are indeed treasures for Bird, Snail, and Squirrel. But the best one from Mole's point of view appears when he meets up with the tunnel of another mole and makes a new friend. Told with minimal text, this book celebrates friendship while quietly calling attention to the fact that treasure is relative. The simple, rounded cartoon illustrations painted in ice-cream colors with thick, black outlines give the story a very sugary but gentle feel. A supplemental purchase for libraries needing more read-alouds for the youngest audiences.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The day that Mole gets his new shovel, he starts to dig for treasure despite his brother betting that he won't find any. The first thing Mole finds is a twig (which a bird thinks is treasure). Digging further, he finds a shell (treasure to a snail), an acorn (treasure to a squirrel) and finally, another hole where a little mole pops up-a real treasure: a friend for Mole. Will Hillenbrand's illustrations have a different look here, less detail and design, and are geared more to pre-schoolers, as is the story. Using tempera, oil pastels and ink on canvas, he relies on simple, outlined shapes with minimal features, textures and patterns against white backgrounds to match the unembellished and guileless tale. The first effort from this husband and wife team plainly conveys with animals and nature the adage, "one man's junk is another man's treasure" for early ages. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews