12 Books for Kids Who Love to Collect
Do you have a kiddo who can’t help but collect a little bit of everything anywhere? My niece is a BIG collector, any walk we take ends up with a pocketful of treasures – pinecones, flowers, pebbles, a little bit of everything! Typically she forgets all about it as soon as we get home, but she loves finding all sorts of little things. I love her sense of wonder and her ability to see the beauty in the tiniest and often times most common of things. Today’s post is inspired by her love of collecting, check out these 12 books for kids who love to collect!
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12 Books for Kids Who Love to Collect
The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell by Candace Fleming, illustrated by GĂ©rard DuBois
Joey Cornell collected everything — anything that sparked his imagination or delighted his eye. His collection grew and grew until he realized that certain pieces just looked right together. He assembled his doodads to create wonderful, magical creations out of once ordinary objects.
The Collectors by Alice Feagan
Nature lovers and collectors of all kinds will love this high-adventure quest story about two brave and clever girls who head into the forest in search of something extraordinary.
Winslow and Rosie have been building an impressive collection of natural wonders, and now it’s nearly complete. With just enough space left for one final piece, the girls set off into the forest to find something extraordinary. Their journey takes them far — along the creek, across the valley, through the spruce grove and up the mountain. And while they find many extraordinary things, nothing is just the right extraordinary thing. When the girls find a deep, dark cave, they decide to venture farther than ever before. Surely, a mysterious cave must hold something extraordinary …
Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Carmen Saldana
While everyone else is excited about presenting their treasures, one creative elementary schooler is stressed about her class’s show-and-tell assignment. How is she supposed to share her collection if she doesn’t collect anything? Polling her parents, visiting with Granny and Grandpa, and searching for the secret behind her siblings’ obsession with baseball cards, she discovers she does, in fact, have something to share: a collection of stories and poems!
The Great Whipplethrop Bug Collection by Ben Brashares, illustrated by Elizabeth Bergeland
Chuck Whipplethorp has a lot to live up to. He is Charles Whipplethorp the Fifth after all, named after his seriously cool ancestors who were explorers, soldiers, and scientistsâhis grandpa even discovered a new species of insect! One day Chuck looks at his stay-at-home dad, huddled over his laptop, and asks: “Dad . . . when I grow up, am I going to be as boring as you?” With a little help from his nurturing father, Chuck finds his own source of strength and individuality through creativity, and helps him to discover that “greatness” comes in many forms.Â
The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection offers a multigenerational family portrait with humor and heart, while unpacking gender roles and acknowledging the universal desire young readers feel to belong and make a mark in the world.
Hannah’s Collections by Marthe Jocelyn
Hannah loves to make collections. Whether itâs new barrettes for her hair or seashells from the shore, she likes to gather things and sort them by size, shape, and color.
But now she is facing a dilemma. The children in her class have been invited to bring their favorite collection to school. How can she possibly pick a favorite?
Once again, Hannahâs boundless imagination wins the day. She finds a way to show off all of her collections in a surprising new way.
Hector the Collector by Emily Beeny and Stephanie Graegin
When Hector comes across an acorn, he discovers a love for collecting them in all shapes and sizes.
They were all different.
They were all the same.
They were all beautiful.
One day his teacher finds his desk filled with acorns, and his classmates make fun of poor Hector. But they soon learn that all collections are specialâwhether coins, stuffed animals, songs, or seashellsâand that some collections are also meant for sharing, like the paintings in an art museum or the books at a public library.
If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian, illustrated by Barbara Hirsch Lember
Think of all the rocks there are: skipping rocks, splashing rocks, climbing rocks, and wishing rocks. Children canât help collecting them. With joyful, poetic text and luminous photographs, If You Find a Rock celebrates rocks everywhereâas well as the mysterious and wonderful places they are found.
In a Jar by Deborah Marcero
Llewellyn, a little rabbit, is a collector. He gathers things in jars–ordinary things like buttercups, feathers, and heart-shaped stones. Then he meets another rabbit, Evelyn, and together they begin to collect extraordinary things–like rainbows, the sound of the ocean, and the wind just before snow falls. And, best of all, when they hold the jars and peer inside, they remember all the wonderful things they’ve seen and done. But one day, Evelyn has sad news: Her family is moving away. How can the two friends continue their magical collection–and their special friendship–from afar?
Max’s Words by Kate Banks, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Max’s brothers have grand collections that everyone makes a big fuss over. Benjamin collects stamps and Karl collects coins, and neither one will share with their little brother. So Max decides to start a collection of his own. He’s going to collect words. He starts with small words that he cuts out of newspapers and magazines, but soon his collection has spilled out into the hall. All the while, his brothers are watching. Benjamin brags that he has one thousand stamps. Karl is just a few coins short of five hundred. But a thousand stamps is really just a bunch of stamps, and a lot of coins is only a heap of money. A pile of words, however, can make a story.
Memory Jars by Vera Brosgol
Freda is devastated when she canât eat all the delicious blueberries sheâs picked. She has to wait a whole year before theyâre back, and she doesnât want to lose them! Then Gran reminds her that they can save blueberries in a jar, as jam. So Freda begins to save all her favorite things. But it turns out that saving everything also means she canât enjoy anything, and Freda realizes that some things are best saved as memories.
What’s In Your Pocket? Collecting Nature’s Treasures by Heather L. Montgomery, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
When you find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket? Meet nine scientists who, as kids, explored the great outdoors and collected “treasures”: seedpods, fossils, worms, and more. Observing, sorting, and classifying their finds taught these kids scientific skills–and sometimes led to groundbreaking discoveries. Author Heather Montgomery has all the science flair of a new Bill Nye. Book includes Heather’s tips for responsible collecting.
The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds
Some people collect stamps. Some people collect coins. Some people collect art. And Jerome? Jerome collected words . . . In this extraordinary new tale from Peter H. Reynolds, Jerome discovers the magic of the words all around him — short and sweet words, two-syllable treats, and multi-syllable words that sound like little songs. Words that connect, transform, and empower. From the creator of The Dot, I Am Human, and Happy Dreamer comes a celebration of finding your own words — and the impact you can have when you share them with the world.
