Searching for Treasure by Johanna Bell illustrated by Emma Long

I have read hundreds or even thousands of books, especially picture books, but every now and then a new book comes along that surprises and completely delights me. The first double spread took my breath away. 

Image source: Larrikin House

Think about all the conversations you could have over this one page - where are they going? who can you see? how do they feel? how do you know this? what do you know about the weather and the season? can you see some things on the edge of the sand near the water? what might they find?

When you walk along a beach you do have to look closely to see all the treasures. This book shows you the treasures in real life sizes, but you are invited to look really closely to discover an interesting science fact about each of these wondrous things. I am so excited to see fingernail shells - I well remember finding these on a beach when I was a very young child. 

So, this could just be a science book about the seashore - but it is so much more. I am not going to spoil the final fold out page but it is sure to delight your young reader and perhaps entice you to take a walk along a nearby beach.

Bookseller blurb: Searching for treasure on the high tide line. One step, two steps, what can you find? A walk on the beach becomes a joyous, creative adventure. What has the sea washed up? Can you find its hidden treasures? Find sea urchins and shark's eggs, ghost crabs and cuttlefish, limpets and barnacles and so much more.

There is an important note on the imprint page - "With thanks to Dr Catherine Cavallo for her marine species expertise." So, you can be assured of the authority of the science facts.

You can share this book with a very young child because the text contains a repeated pattern but an older child is sure to be fascinated by all the tiny details written in tiny italic text beside each treasure.

One step, two steps, what can you find? Searching for treasure on the high tide line. Three steps, four steps, what can you find?

Here are a few 'fun facts':

• The best time to look for shells is after a storm
• Baby sharks are called pups!
• Sponges are animals not plants
• Periwinkles can't swim

Huge congratulations to Allen and Unwin on the book design used for Searching for Treasure. This book has a fold out which I already mentioned but there are also sculptured half pages somewhat like a lift-the-flap. The tide is out on the front end paper and the tide is coming back in on the back end paper. This has huge implications for the final image - oh no!

It is a long way off, but I am going to predict Searching for Treasure will be a CBCA 2026 Notable. Here are some teachers notes. 

I loved that Searching for Treasure has two ways it can be read; large simple text is a prompt to look at the picture and point things out, plus there is small text between the treasures, educational facts winding between the illustrations. These were like hidden treasures in themselves. Little Squirrel's Bookshelf (click this link to see more illustrations inside this book)

The final gatefold is masterful!  The Bottom Shelf

Johanna Bell lives in Tasmania where she writes fiction and runs a community arts business called StoryProjects. Johanna is the author of The Colour Catchers, illustrated by Laura Stitzel and Hope is the Thing, illustrated by Erica Wagner.  

Hope is the Thing

Emma Long is an accomplished artist, exhibiting regularly in group and solo exhibitions across the Northern Territory. Emma lives in Darwin with their husband and four children and continues to work as an illustrator and an art educator. Other books they have illustrated include Diane Lucas and Ben Tyler's Walking in Gagudju Country and Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu.

A Friend for George by Gabriel Evans

"Because that's what friends do."

George lives alone in a small blue hut beside the sea. He does have a happy life but deep in his heart he knows something is missing - he would love to have a friend. Near the shore he sees a rock pool and inside he finds a small fish with "golden scales and bright green fins." 

George chats with the little fish even though he does know the fish cannot answer or join the conversation. George shares his best jokes and he decides to call the fish Claude. It is a day of pure happiness:

"George slid and skipped and jumped over the rocks back to his home. That night, George couldn't stop smiling. He'd finally found a friend."

George cannot wait to catch up with his friend the next day but even the youngest children who live near the sea will predict the scene in the morning. The tide has risen and the rock pool is gone. Claude is now out in the ocean. But George wants his new friend. He needs his new friend. So he rushes home and grabs his row boat, oars and one more thing - a large glass fish bowl. George does find the little fish but when he scoops him into the fish bowl it very quickly becomes clear that this is not the right place for Claude. Can these two still be friends? Is there a lesson (albeit a gentle one) that George needs to learn about being a true friend. 

Here is a video where Gabriel talks about his book. You can see inside this book and read some review comments here. 

A Friend for George is a perfect book to read aloud with young children learning to navigate the world. Its message is gently delivered in a package that will be enjoyed by everyone. Kids' Book Review

Blue skies, sandy shores, breaking waves, and the rolling ocean are all brought to life in layered watercolour/gouache illustrations. Reading Time

It opens up the opportunities for discussions about what it is friends do – a phrase repeated often throughout the story – and how we need to learn to be unselfish and put the needs of others before ourselves.  The Bottom Shelf

This story theme reminded me of all those picture books about children who take stars from the sky and then they discover they do need to let them go. Take a look at this previous post where I list some books about children and stars. The idea of a fish in a fish bowl also made me think of this book:

Gabriel Evans often draws his characters - dog and human - with thin bendy legs and jaunty striped jumpers. To my eye this makes them endearing and vulnerable. Take a look at these book covers:

Blue Flower

Norton and the Borrowing Bear

If you look at my sidebar I have talked about SO many books with a friendship theme. As I write this post there are over 560 books with this label. A Friend for George is a wonderful addition to this topic and it is a story that could generate some very meaningful discussions with your own reading companion or with a group of young children. When I was a very young child my most precious and most re-read book was this book. It could be an interesting comparison text: