As I’ve been out and about lately, I’ve noticed many people “using their words” on signs, as chants, and in speeches to spur action. Words are powerful, as evident in today’s Perfect Picture Book.
Title: A Chest Full of Words
Written & Illustrated By: Rebecca Gugger and Simon Roethlisberger
Translated By: Tim Mohr
Publisher/Date: NorthSouth Books/2025 (originally published in German by NordSued Verlag/2024)
Suitable for Ages: 4-8, and older
Themes/Topics: words, power of words, humor, treasure chest, vocabulary, imagination
Opening:
On a mild autumn morning, Oscar was doing his daily digging when he discovered a magnificent wooden chest.
Brief Synopsis: Oscar, a young boy, finds a chest full of words and discovers their power to change the world.
Links to Resources:
· Check out these awesome activities in the Education Guide;
· Check out the resources at Planet Word, a museum dedicated to words, located in Washington, DC. And if you’re in the DC area, plan to visit this awesome new museum.
Why I Like this Book:
Like most writers and readers, I love words. If you do, too (and if you’re reading this, I know we’re kindred spirits), then you’ll love this imaginative tale that explores the power of words.
As the story begins, young Oscar discovers a wooden chest while “doing his daily digging”. Why he digs daily is unstated, but it’s lovely to envision a world in which children dig for pleasure, presumably to find treasures.
Oscar is disappointed when he discovers that the wooden chest contains only jumbled up words. The first word he grabs is fluorescent, only to find that tossing it into the bushes reveals a fluorescent hedgehog. I think kids will love seeing the hedgehog and experiencing other amazing transformations, including a grandiose birdhouse that looks like a castle.
Most of the words Oscar discovers are ones that young children may not understand at first. But I think that’s the point: they see them in action – the illustrations show the words’ meanings, helping kids fill their own treasure chests with new vocabulary.
And what happens when Oscar empties the chest, when he becomes “wordless”? He asks adults where to find more words, and, thankfully for readers, one neighbor reminds Oscar that “you can find words anytime and anywhere”. Just use your senses and open your heart to find new words.
I love this celebration of words. It’s a perfect picture book to share at home or in classrooms to encourage children to expand vocabularies, to use words wisely, and to share them with joy.
A Note about Craft:
Gugger and Roethlisberger are illustrators and graphic designers who, seemingly, wrote the text and created the illustrations together.
A Chest Full of Words was published originally in German and translated by the late Tim Mohr.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 