I was about five or six when I started collecting small treasures: a miniature rooster, a pink seashell, the cap from an acorn, a wooden spool, a straw star, an old type letter, a miniature dictionary, a doll’s teacup, and more. Much more. I kept my treasures in a cookie tin, and when I could no longer close the lid, I moved my collection to a bigger box.
Years later, I realized my little trinkets and toys would bring more happiness if I could see them. I stood my wooden animals on the window sill in my writing room, nested my shells and beach pebbles among my books, and filled an old type case with more treasures. For those of you who aren’t familiar with a type case, it’s a shallow, wooden box that is compartmentalized to hold moveable type used in letterpress printing- an ideal place to display my small and marvelous curiosities.
Of course, my tiny treasures are tucked here and there throughout my home, because seeing them brings me joy, and speaking of collecting treasures leads me to today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday Review of The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell by Candace Fleming.
Title – The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell
Written by – Candace Fleming
Illustrated by – Gerard DuBois
Published by – Schwartz & Wade Books
Suitable for ages – 4-8
Theme – Turning a collection of objects into art.
Opening –
Joey Cornell collected everything… anything… that sparked his imagination or delighted his eye. “If I like it, I keep it,” Joey always said.
At first, he stowed his collection in his bedroom. But it grew… and grew… and grew, until…
From Amazon – View Here
Joey Cornell collected everything — anything that sparked his imagination or delighted his eye. His collection grew and grew until he realized that certain pieces just looked right together. He assembled his doodads to create wonderful, magical creations out of once-ordinary objects.
Perfect for introducing art to kids, here’s an imaginative and engaging book based on the childhood of great American artist Joseph Cornell, told by master picture book author Candace Fleming and lauded illustrator Gérard DuBois.
Why do I like this book? — The second I read the word ‘Collection’ in the title and saw the cover illustration of Joey Cornell pulling his red wagon, brimming with an eclectic collection of items, I needed to know more. I discovered a child, much like my younger self (and current older self), with a powerful attraction to interesting objects that hold memories or serve as pure curiosities. Reading how this young boy grew up to transform his treasures into art was a journey I enjoyed. From the first page to the last, the joy Gerard DuBois felt in illustrating this story was abundantly evident in his loving, vintage style.
Learn about Candace Fleming HERE.
Learn more about Gerard DuBoise HERE.
Collecting treasures is something many of us have in common. While I like miniature curiosities, someone else might enjoy collecting vintage picture books, musical instruments, postcards from their travels, stamps in their passport, maps, or recipes. Anything can become a collection. I hope you’ll take the time to write about something you love to collect in the comments.
Until next Friday,
Leslie