The collector by Heidi James. Illus. by Nayazeva

This is an interesting book that doesn't quite go where you think it will. It starts off as a joyous celebration of collecting but morphs into a warning about the dark perils of obsessing over material possessions. Told in the first person, the storyteller tells us about his innocent entry into collecting the things around him and found items. He keeps his collections in many jars and their number grows and swells, sometimes through deceitfully acquiring things belonging to others. He steals bits and bobs from his aunt, his parents and his sisters, referring to his acts as 'safe keeping'.

The illustrations grow dark and he starts to obsess over his collections, unaware that his attitude to the hobby differs from the healthy collecting of his family members. In the end, he doesn't care what he is collecting anymore, just happy for more 'things'. He turns into a wild adult, with bare feet and unruly hair, his materialistic mindset symbolically represented with a glowing-eyed octopus/owl creature. He lives only for his jars, while his family try desperately to reach him. In the end, they shatter his collection and the jarry beast is defeated. 'The weight of collected worry and tending, all smashed. Gone with the jarry beast, up to the midnight sky'. It finishes with a message to value family and those around you rather than what you have.

Themes: Family Connections, Collections, Materialism.

Nicole Nelson