In her secret treasure box, a girl with brown skin collects special found items: a particularly smooth, round rock; a papery snakeskin; a large feather; a bird’s nest. She delights in sharing these items with her white grandfather when he visits. Grandpa examines each item with a magnifying glass and obvious appreciation before putting on his blue hat and accompanying his granddaughter on a treasure-finding walk. (The hat is repurposed as a basket for new items.) When Grandpa gets sick, the girl finds comfort in her treasures, and when she is able to visit Grandpa—first at home, where he now uses a nasal cannula, and later at the hospital—she brings along new items to share with him. When Grandpa dies, the girl attends his funeral, where she studies old photos and says goodbye “in [her] heart.” For a time, the treasure box becomes a source of sadness. But when Grammy finally visits, alone, she brings gifts—Grandpa’s magnifying glass, blue hat, and watch, inspiring the girl to share her treasures with her grandmother. The warmth and closeness between grandfather and granddaughter are beautifully depicted in the details of their interactions, and the story’s emotional arc is grounded in this child’s observations not only of loss but of the progression of her grandpa’s illness. (Ages 4-7)

A poignant, gorgeously-illustrated story about a girl's bond with her grandfather and how it evolves after his death.

Searching for treasures with her grandpa is this young girl’s favorite thing to do. Every week they examine the items in her secret box and go on walks to find more—a broken robin’s egg, rusty spring, even a snakeskin that makes Grandpa squirm and make funny faces.

But then Grandpa is too sick to come. She leaves him a few treasures in the hospital, but when he dies, she can’t bring herself to even open the treasure box.

When Grammy brings her some treasures Grandpa wanted her to have, they open the box together and continue the tradition, showing that memories of time together are the greatest treasures of all.

This poignant, gorgeously-illustrated story celebrates the special bonds kids have with grandparents, even after they are gone.