Thinking about Easter and rabbits made me recall one of my favorite childhood books, Masquerade by Kit Williams. It doesn't actually have anything to do with Easter but the main character is a hare. Jack Hare is entrusted with a jewel from the moon to deliver to the the sun. Along the way, the jewel is lost and this is where the book truly gets interesting . . .
Kit Williams actually created this 18-carat gold jewel (pictured above) and buried it somewhere in Britain. The location of the jewel can be found in clues visual and verbal in the book. As you can imagine, the jewel has been found by now. You can read all about it here if you want.Even though the jewel has been found, I still think this could be a fun activity for kids. Over spring break I plan on reading the book to my children and having them figure out the location of the jewel, just for fun. Maybe we'll do some kind of craft project too, perhaps make our own jewel hares out of cardboard, paint, and rhinestones.
Illustration from Masquerade by Kit WilliamsAnyone else remember Masquerade? Did you try to figure out the location of the jewel?
14 comments:
Oh I still have this book!
Somehow I missed this one when I was a child. What an incredible story behind the discovery of the necklace, though!
I don't know this book, but it reminded me of one that came out several years ago that sparked a mad hunt for the treasures--gold, bejeweled insects and animals hidden all over the United States. My son and I enjoyed it, though not so much as my obsessed friend at work who stayed up late to work on the riddles!
I'm checking out yours though! It sounds wonderful, and I'm sure my son and I will enjoy it too.
Ah, I have to get caught up with your blog and everyone else's. I've been gone for a long time, and I've missed a lot of good stuff! Hope you and your family have been well!
Chidori,
Welcome back :)
Can you share the name of the book you're talking about? I don't think I know of it.
Oh my, what a chord was struck in my heart when I saw this! I spent hours and hours looking for that rabbit (it was the picture of the rabbit that struck me, though I immediately remembered the book).
I will try to get ahold of my copy - because where is that rabbit (I wonder if, as an adult, I will finally find it).
What an unexpected journey down memory lane, thank you!
wow, what a blast from the past, I spent hours as a kid pouring over the book, obviously I never figured the riddles out!
Wow - that is a blast from the past.
I found it on a bookcase sometime in the 80s when I was a child. I tried to solve the puzzles but as I knew almost nowhere outside West Yorkshire I didn't have enormous success :)
It seems I was also about a decade too late...
I also missed this one. The illustrations look amazing. I am going to see if I can find it at the library. My girls would enjoy it.
Thanks again!
oh i loved that book so much - i still have my copy and read it to my son :)
My parents had this! I think I still have it out in storage. I used to spend hours looking at the pictures. Alas, I never figured out the hiding place. So glad to see you post about this.
Danna
e'clair,
If you're curious, you can find the solution to the riddles here:
http://www.solstice.dsl.pipex.com/mystery/masquera.htm
Thank you for the tip - I have bookmarked it (for when I get my book!).
It is always neat to discover that the books one once enjoyed were enjoyed by someone else, too.
- Greta
I spent so much of my childhood trying to to find the treasure... I still have the book and my kids now love reading it and looking at the pictures. I read a newspaper clipping that said that the actual treasure was found and that he had made newer, better one for the person who actually cracks the code as the treasure was found by a dog in a park by accident.
I LOVE this book!!!! I actually have 2 copies because I couldn't pass it up when I found one at a second-hands store!
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