By Christine McFaul
Percy’s Museum is a new picture book by critically acclaimed author Sarah O’Leary (Family is a Family, Night Walk, This is Sadie) and award-winning illustrator Carmen Mok (A Stopwatch from Grandpa, Tough Like Mum, Violet Shrink). I love this pairing of two Canadian children’s literary greats and couldn’t wait to review the results of their collaboration.
The story follows Percy, a young boy who has just moved from the city to the countryside. Percy misses the familiar urban bustle of his old home and is unsure what to make of his new, quieter environment. As Percy begins to explore his surroundings, he quickly learns that nature is “busy in its own way.” He watches ants on parade, birds putting on air shows, and dark skies filling with stars. He tastes wild strawberries and collects leaves, sticks, and all manner of bugs. As Percy spends his days enjoying the wonders of nature, the book gently delivers the message that it is possible to “be alone without being lonely.”
Percy’s observations of the natural world create a perfect microcosm for change. Percy sees that in nature, “everything changes;” flowers bloom and die, eggs turn into birds, and worms become food for birds. By the end of the story, Percy has discovered his own ability to affect change, turning an old backyard playhouse into a museum and a newfound passion for nature into the start of friendships.
Like many of O’Leary’s picture books, the narrative does not mince words. Instead, it uses simple, straightforward phrasing to convey big, profound concepts. Mok’s illustrations bring the text to life in washes of candy-coloured images. Her pictures provide clever interpretations of the text and allow young readers to discover interesting details in nature alongside Percy. Both pictures and story remain child-focused, allowing young readers to absorb the book’s themes without adult intervention.
A quiet and calming story aimed at the 3-7 age range, Percy’s Museum correlates to the Common Core Standard in English Language Arts and would be a great reading choice for the Summer season ahead.