What a fun, charmingly-illustrated story of two young natural scientists building their collection. I enjoyed the rhythm of the text and the build=up of the narrative towards an unexpected encounter, and then the children's assessment of their expedition.

The level of detail in the text and in the cut-paper illustrations is perfectly suited to a story about two girls who are looking at the world with sharp attention for different and unique things.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the chance to read and review this book.

Thanks to Kids Can Press + NetGalley for the advance review copy of The Collectors.

I adore this book about friendship, exploration, determination, and science. Perfect for kids who collect, love the natural world, or enjoy adventure stories (especially ones they can embark on themselves).

A story suitable for children, very nice, its edition is very curious and without a doubt it gives a plus to the story

I really enjoyed this book and reminded me a little of my childhood.
My parents and myself were huge nature lovers, and rather than spend money at the cinema for example, we would be out exploring nature and looking for unusual things.
Great easy to read story, and the pictures were really cute too.

I really liked this book. The story is very simple and not much happens but this seemed right. I felt that the story was all about stopping and looking and noticing, rather than an action-packed adventure. The fab detail in the illustrations encourages this too as there is so much to look at. It reminded me of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, which is one of my favourite books.

Hmmm… A good-looking, but fairly inconsequential read. It dramatises how two young scientists, one the daring explorer type, the other the one with a head for recording details and keeping a collection of their finds together, go exploring for the final piece de resistance of their museum. When the girls have to rush home all of a sudden, the book also feels the need to rush to an 'aah, it was right under their feet all along, you only need look close to home to find what you want' ending, and that's when it hits you that it hasn't really building up to much. Two and a half stars.

Oh, this is charming. 2 diverse girls, Rosie and Winslow, are nature explorers looking for one final item to complete their collection. They travel far and wide, come upon unsuitable choices, and are chased back to their tree house by a bear. They turn thoughts of failure into success by realizing that they went new places and saw a rare bird. And a surprise awaits them in the form of 3 eggs that hatch. Excellent model of girls as scientists. The illustrations are collages, crisp shapes cut out and carefully layers to create the pictures. This book is a winner.

Sweet picture book with strong story/circle time potential that follows two young girls as they search for the perfect final object for their nature collection. They find many possibilities but determine each option has significant limitations (too big, too deep, too heavy, etc) until they finally arrive at the perfect final addition. The artwork is a charming paper-cut style that invites readers to spend time both reading the story and exploring the illustrations.

I think this would be a great book for anyone who loves nature and exploration. They two young girls bring a wonder and excitement to looking around the forest.

Works on Every Level

This is a cheerful, high energy, and very engaging adventure/friendship tale that I enjoyed immensely.

Our two heroines have charm, character, spunk, and personality. They complement and support each other nicely. Their adventure is just the right level of exciting, fast paced, and cleverly imagined. The girls are curious and resourceful, and there is a nice balance of discovery and action, set against an exceptionally good humored and inviting background.

I understand the appeal of cut-paper collage, but I've seen a lot of young reader books for which that approach just hasn't worked, at least for me. I suspect that the main problem I see is that often the art comes across as too abstract or too indistinct/"artsy" to carry a clear narrative. That's probably just me, but that's O.K. because this book is so attractive, successful, engaging, and appealing that any reservations about collage just get blown away. The level of detail is extraordinary; the characters are consistent from page to page and remarkably expressive. The action is crisp and the settings are realistic enough to frame the adventure tale.

So, as a cheery and upbeat adventure, with an engaging emphasis on friendship and cooperation, and with a refreshing touch of sciencey discovery, this book was an excellent find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Two friends are adventures and collectors of fun and fascinating items. They only have room for one more thing on their shelves and they set out on an adventure to find something to fit. They learn along the way that the journey can be just as rewarding as the destination, and that going on adventures also makes you appreciate your home.