Do you remember hunting for treasure at the seaside, perhaps for shells, seaweed, or special rocks? Maybe you looked for fish, birds and other creatures that live in the water or scuttle along the beach. This large and colourful hardback book captures a young child’s excitement as they search for treasure on the high tide line, the highest point on the shore reached by the tide. At the high tide line, a fascinating mix of seaweed, shells and other objects wash up on the shore.
The book’s content is adaptable for different ages and stages. Very young children will enjoy the simple repetitive counting lines, covering steps from 1 to 10 – and then a big surprise!
Searching for treasure on the high tide line. One step, two steps, what can you find?
Many of the pages have sturdy flaps that build anticipation – what is hidden on the next page? The last few pages have the biggest flap of all. When the flap is wide open it reveals a magnificent creation spread across three pages.
If you’re reading to older children, there are all sorts of interesting facts – and a few questions – to share about creatures and features found along the shoreline. This information is in tiny lettering, cleverly integrated with the illustrations.
Pumice seems like a hard sponge, but it’s actually lava from a volcano – it is full of air bubbles that make it float!
As the book was created by an Australian team there are a few lines that refer to Australia and to Aboriginal people. You could easily change one or two words to make it more relevant to tamariki living in New Zealand.
The watercolour and gouache illustrations echo the colours of our New Zealand beaches – soft blues and greens, and golden sand. Look closely and you will see a pod of dolphins, paddleboarders bobbing in the sea, and dreamy shell-shaped clouds.
The child searching for treasure is free to explore on their own while the adults remain nearby enjoying their own day at the beach. “Quick! Catch up! Don’t get left behind!” they call, when it’s finally time to move on.
Searching for Treasure was written with advice from an Australian ecologist who is passionate about promoting understanding and celebrating connections between people and nature. It’s a perfect book for children (and their parents or caregivers) who love beach visits and are interested in learning more about marine life.
Reviewer: Anne Kerslake Hendricks
Allen & Unwin