Over the weekend, we read James Herriot's Treasury for Children. I loved it. So did my son.
I read all of James Herriot's books when I was growing up. The stories about the British country veterinarian were fascinating to me. Herriot described his world in a vivid, uplifting way.
This collection of stories is no different: full of love and life, and a glimpse into a different world. The full-page, color illustrations are amazing and really capture the feel of the stories.
One thing I like about this book is that, although all the stories have happy endings, there are some difficult things that happen, just like in real life: a favorite cow gets sent away to be sold. A mother cat dies, leaving behind a tiny kitten. A tiny lamb wanders away from his mother and almost dies in a snowstorm. These events are not presented in a way to scare young readers, but for the purpose of telling a realistic story and showing how these hardships were overcome. It's easy to gloss over and shelter children from difficult topics. It's harder to present them in a gentle, age-appropriate way that promotes discussion, and this book does it well.
Suggested age range: 4-8 years per Amazon (my son is 3)
Author's Note: The opinions in this book review are solely my own. I received no incentive or compensation for writing this review.
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