The Pocket Book

September 15, 2023
Pockets are for holding hands, treasures, memories. Mama buttons a child's blue denim coat over a yellow dress, polka-dot tights, and green rain boots. The next spread shows the child's outstretched hands holding the items from the coat's pockets: "Here is a hike. / My hungry belly. / A hurt." The artwork shows a partially eaten cracker, five jelly beans, a feather, several rocks, a pine cone, a lollipop's stick, and a used Band-Aid. The words "Here is the ocean. / A wish. / Some sunshine" are paired with an image of some seashells, a piece of string, a Popsicle stick, some rocks, and driftwood, while opposite, the child holds a conch to an ear. A tree fits in a pocket--as an acorn--and home does, too, in the form of a key. Six seeds are "a promise," "a wonder," "a worry," and then "a wow!"--a big sunflower. "In my pocket / I'll keep this moment / to show you. / Because that's / what pockets / are for." Breckenreid's illustrations charmingly highlight the denim jacket's texture, and it looks like various natural items were also incorporated into some of the illustrations. Mom has light skin and straight red hair; the child has tan skin and slightly darker red hair. Put a basket next to the washing machine for pocket treasures after reading this. (Picture book. 4-8)

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October 9, 2023
A young person’s voluminous denim coat pocket contains myriad memorable treasures in Hinrichs’s categorizing picture book. Through symbolic descriptions, a tan-skinned, gap-toothed child tells a simple and abstract story that encourages readerly interpretation. “Here is a hike,” the speaker says, presenting a palm full of jelly beans, a half-eaten cracker, a feather, and a rock. A page turn displays a hand cupping a lollipop stick, bandage, pinecone, and so on (“My hungry belly./ A hurt”). An apparent walk to the beach brings “a wish./ Some sunshine,” and later, time speeds up as several sunflower seeds (“a promise”) bring forth vibrant yellow blooms (“a wow!”). Breckenreid’s mixed-media artwork emphasizes the found quality of the objects featured via collages that work smoothly with text to create a poignant portrait of the way even small or mundane items can hold meaning. Ages 4–8.