Too Many Acorns

Too Many Acorns by Susannah Crispe (EK Books), RRP $24.99 Picture Book ISBN 9-781922-539748

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

A young boy, Patrick, finds an acorn which feels warm and smooth in his hand. When he picks up another, he feels something inside him grow. Soon he becomes an obsessive collector and can’t stop, finding all sorts of places at home to store his stash. That’s until his home is consumed by an avalanche of acorns and Dad’s at his wits’ end. 

Too Many Acorns is a subtle picture book about dealing with grief, which you wouldn’t guess from the title or the front cover. Patrick is collecting excessive quantities of acorns to compensate for his loss and resulting sadness. Despite the damage that the acorn avalanche does to his home, this event is the trigger that Patrick needs to start mending the damage to his heart.

I must admit that I didn’t read the blurb before reading this story with my kids, and I’m glad I didn’t. The author/illustrator purposely keeps us in the dark about what is driving Patrick’s obsession and when we got to the climax, my kids felt clever that they’d worked out the reason why Patrick felt the way he did by identifying the clues in the illustrations. This is a thoughtful read for kids aged 4 to 7 to explore feelings associated with losing something precious