The Collectors

In her authorial debut, Feagan (School Days Around the World) tells the story of white-skinned Winslow, a “fearless finder,” and brown-skinned Rosie, a “clever cataloguer,” best friends who have filled their tree house with “an impressive collection of natural wonders.” Now the girls need just one more object—“something extraordinary!”—to fill the last empty space. The adventure that follows involves a series of discoveries that prove variously impossible, even for the intrepid pair: a huge amethyst is “TOO HEAVY,” an underground dinosaur skeleton is “TOO BIG,” and a large, angry bear puts an end to finding anything “TOO HIDDEN” in a deep, dark cave. Happily, nature steps up to provide the pair with the crowning touch they’ve been seeking. Feagan’s cut-paper collages, which are full of drama and detail, give readers a sense of an expansive and largely exploration-friendly landscape. A cutaway scene that shows the girls diving from a wooded shore into a sunlit turquoise lake and spotting a huge gold nugget resting at the bottom feels like a story in and of itself. Ages 3–7. [em](May) [/em]