The Treasure: A Story About Finding Joy in Unexpected Places

K-Gr 3–How does one find happiness? That’s the theme of this gorgeously illustrated picture book. A hare is unsatisfied with its current life and decides to make an epic quest to the top of a mountain where there is a treasure box that contains the thing to make dreams come true. The quest is difficult and along the way, the hare finds a bear and a blackbird, each with a talent to make the quest a little less arduous. Each one of them is dreaming about what will bring them happiness. When the three animals reach the summit, they are surprised at what’s in the box and then they have a revelation that other animals will find their own happiness by opening the box themselves. The illustrations are at once dark and foreboding, almost apprehension-inducing, but also with a warmth and depth that gives the story a feeling of hope.