Emma's Treasure.

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta, co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British
Views of Canada, 1880–1914, and author of The Salvation Army and the
Public.

“At the back of the garden, there was a shed. It contained tools and shovels. It contained a lawn mower and a snow blower. It also contained a treasure.” In the old wooden seaman’s chest nestled in the corner, Emma and her friends, Thomas and Jeffrey, find the forgotten cast-offs of a bygone lifestyle and so intrigued are they by this “treasure” that they must investigate—by checking at the museum and talking to older people—and find out just what they were and what they were used for. It is an ingenious book, with vivid two-page illustrations which admirably suit the theme, and one which will bring new understanding (as well as enjoyment) to young readers who never knew what oilskins were, or what a concertina was, or if there was such a thing as a distinctive Newfoundland flag. These are among the treasures this delightful book uncovers, and the discovery is well worth the effort. Recommended.