Lost and Found
“Where’s your hat?” Mom asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“The minute you get to school tomorrow, go look in the Lost and Found.”
A recommended picture book for ages 4-8 that will not only help with confronting fears, but teaches that others aren’t always as they appear.
About this Story
A little courage yields unexpected surprises when Justin visits the dreaded lost and found.
When Justin loses the special hat his grandmother made for him, he looks everywhere he can think of to find it. Everywhere, that is, except the lost and found. Mr. Rumkowsky, the old school custodian, is the keeper of all the lost and found items, and everyone is afraid of him, including Justin.
With his grandmother coming to visit soon, his mom upset, and the hat nowhere in sight, Justin finally musters the courage to enter Mr. Rumkowsky’s domain. There he discovers a whole world of treasures—lost items Justin’s friends (and generations of children before them) have been too afraid to claim. Things keep getting weirder and weirder, until way down at the bottom of Rumkowsky’s giant box Justin unearths something completely unexpected…
Bill and Adam talk about the book
Illustrator: Adam Gustavson | Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2012 | ISBN-13: 978-1-56145-628-4
Ages: preschool to 3rd grade | Hardcover: 32 pages | Also available: ebook
DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
AWARDS
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Parents’ Choice Approved Award
―Parents’ Choice Foundation 2012 -
Great Lakes’ Great Books Award (nominee, grades 2-3)
―Michigan Reading Association 2013-14 -
Maine Chickadee Award (nominee)
―Maine Association of School Librarians 2013-14 -
Best Children’s Books of the Year
―Bank Street College of Education 2013 -
Children’s Book Award (nominee)
―Florida Reading Association 2013-14 -
Delaware Diamonds List (nominee)
―Delaware State Reading Association 2013-14 -
Golden Sower Arward (nominee)
―Nebraska Library Association 2014-15 -
Volunteer State Book Awards (nominee)
―Tenessee Association of School Librarians 2014-15 -
Show Me Readers Award (nominee)
―Missouri Association of School Librarians 2014-15 -
Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award (nominee)
―Kansas Reading Association 2015
Reviews
...With stifling tension, Harley has found the perfect emotional pitch to explore such universal childhood fears...Gustavson enhances the dramatic mood with realistic double-page spreads that artfully use a child’s-eye perspective..
Harley’s text and especially the dialogue is spot on... Adam Gustavson’s oil paint illustrations are a total delight and extend the story wonderfully...
Every child and parent on this earth can relate to and appreciate the story and marvelous illustrations in Lost and Found...
Boys and girls will love Lost and Found... Librarians and teachers will love this book for its perfect story time quality, the expressive text matched with the dynamic illustrations... Mr. Harley and Mr. Gustavson have produced a picture book that is unique yet captures a common childhood dilemma: the fear of authority.
An easily relatable story...readers will grasp the joke and have an additional laugh as they view the artwork on the final pages. The large-size font will be an aid to those learning to read using the picture clues. A welcome addition.
Boys and girls will love Lost and Found... Librarians and teachers will love this book for its perfect story time quality, the expressive text matched with the dynamic illustrations... Mr. Harley and Mr. Gustavson have produced a picture book that is unique yet captures a common childhood dilemma: the fear of authority.
Boys and girls will love Lost and Found... Librarians and teachers will love this book for its perfect story time quality, the expressive text matched with the dynamic illustrations... Mr. Harley and Mr. Gustavson have produced a picture book that is unique yet captures a common childhood dilemma: the fear of authority.
Bill Harley’s skills as an oral teller translate well in his written work. Through his use of dialogue character personalities shine...Every single time I read this book I discover some new detail in the realistic, full color oil paintings rendered by Adam Gustavson...Whether sharing one on one or as a group read aloud, this is a winner.