A Chest Full of Words - Rebecca Gugger - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Rebecca Gugger

ILLUSTRATOR: Simon Röthlisberger

TRANSLATOR: Tim Mohr

GENRE: Children's Picture Book.

PUBLICATION DATE: March 18, 2025

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book about the magic of words, especially big words. Good for vocabulary building and for learning how words make a difference. Decent plot. Subtle message. Lovely illustrations. Recommended but not to all.

Plot Preview:

Oscar is going about his daily digging when he suddenly stumbles upon a huge chest. When he manages to open it after a lot of struggle, he discovers it to be full of words and nothing else, much to his disappointment. After he throws the first word away, he realises that it modified the hedgehog it fell on. Using the rest of the words from the chest, Oscar discovers the value of words. But what happens once the chest is empty?

This book was originally published in German in 2024 with the title ‘Der Wortschatz’. This English version, translated by award-winning translator Tim Mohr, will be published in March 2025.

This is obviously not a logical tale but a fantastical one. Yet, within its wondrous plot, it contains a practical message about the power of words.

As expected, there are plenty of words in this story: big words, small words, funny words, meaningful words, and even concocted words. For many of these, there is a visual accompaniment via the illustrations to help little readers see its precise meaning. Every new word that Oscar finds and learns is an adjective, so this book is a treasure trove for any class about adjectives or general vocabulary.

The first half of the story is all about Oscar trying out various words, thus making this part of the plot adventurous and fun. Children (and adults) are often wary of bigger words, so it’s nice to see a picture book use lengthy words to its advantage. Strangely, I liked this part of the book better, even though it was mostly light fun. I hope kids can see through this part of the book that learning big new words also can be fun.

The second half brings out the relevance of words and of listening to them and watching them all around us, especially in nature. So there’s a little shift in the tone, with all the deeper meaning contained in this part of the book. However, there are a few things left unexplained, especially about the gardener’s capabilities. While children will still understand a part of the intent, I feel like this half of the book would be enhanced under adult guidance as the message is a bit too subtle.

The quirky illustrations were my favourite part of this book. The fusion of textual words with the visuals makes a great impact. The earthen hues work perfectly for a story that is so strongly set in nature. I love the little onomatopoeic additions in the graphics, offering a further opportunity to *listen* to words.

There's a QR code at the end of the book, which links to free downloadable activities containing supplemental words and loads of word-based puzzles.

Recommended, but not to all. This is the kind of book that works better in classrooms and libraries. It’s a good option for vocabulary enhancement and guessing of contextual meanings for kids aged 5-8.

My thanks to North South Books for providing the DRC of “A Chest Full of Words” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.