Ruowen Wang, illustrated by Wei Xu,
The Hidden Treasure
Kevin & Robin Books, 2007.

Rating: G*

The Hidden Treasure is a story within a story. When his grandchildren ask him to tell them a story, Grandpa takes a break from his gardening to tell them the tale of the Hidden Treasure. This Chinese tale is about a dying old man whose greedy children only take care of him because of a treasure they believe he has hidden away. Wang cleverly brings the reader back into the main frame of her book by having the grandfather ask his grandchildren to write their own versions to the end of the tale. Ultimately both stories work together to show that the real treasure in life is the love of family. While the old man in the inner story longed for it, the grandfather in the outer story treasured it.

Over all this is an entertaining, enriching, well illustrated book that is sure to please its readers.

Thematic Links: Family; Treasure; Chinese Stories

Rachelle Gooden
Vol. 13, number 1
October 2007

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.