Henry and the Hidden Treasure

Henry and the Hidden Treasure is an imaginative adventure a young child has in defending his pocket money against his little sister. Henry constructs elaborate defensive measures that he is sure will stand up to the clever ambitions of Lucy. Little does he know, Lucy has a few tricks of her own.

With a focus on introducing children to the use of ordinal numbers, Henry and the Hidden Treasure also draws out some important qualities of being a kid – such as creativity, the value of listening to parental advice, and of course, being nice to your sister.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Today is the release day of BCR Fegan's newest children's book, Henry and the Hidden Treasure. With pop-up text blocks on the kindle edition and adorable, imaginative illustrations, this book will be a treat for any young listener. 

Henry, the main character, has a treasure chest full of, what I assume to be, his allowance and he doesn't trust his little sister not to try to steal it, because she's obviously a super ninja. This fun set up makes the book interesting to little ones from the very start as Henry tries to discover how best to guard his treasure. 

While the story is creative and entertaining, with mentions of superheroes and monsters, I liked the lessons hidden within. They may be the true treasure of the book. The steps that Henry takes in the story are all numbered, giving order and introducing or reinforcing the number system to young listeners and readers. The story also introduces the idea that siblings may not all be secret ninjas who want to steal your treasure, but are instead caring younger people who want to spend time with you. This may help older siblings understand and better adapt to the introduction of a baby sister or brother. 

The amount of words on each page are very few, only a sentence or two. This puts the book in a beginning reader category. Though the little ones may need help with a few words, the vocabulary is basic enough for children to understand the story and sound out the words to read it themselves. Paired with the illustrations, I think a lot of young readers, especially boys and girls who are into superheroes, monsters, and secret treasures, will really enjoy this book! Plus, I think it's a good length for those beginning readers who tend to have shorter attention spans. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups