Book Review: Jackson’s Blanket

Jackson’s Blanket
By Nancy Cote
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 9780399246944
$16.99
Grades PreK-1
In Stores

I have a good luck charm that I always carry with me: a small rectangular piece of maple wood. It’s on my key chain. Here it is:

I’ve had it since high school, and if I lost it, I would be kinda bummed. I think I have an idea of how Jackson must feel. Through rhyming verse, “Jackson’s Blanket” tells a familiar tale: a child who won’t give up their baby blanket. Author Nancy Cote puts forth a simple story that will ring true with a segment of young readers.

The brown-haired Jackson will not part with his favorite possession: a soft, increasingly threadbare baby-blue blanket. His parents encourage him to hang it up, but he won’t budge. A blanket is good for so many things – cape, tent, toy carrier – why would he willingly part with it? When Jackson follows some tracks through the snow and discovers an abandoned kitten, he reconsiders his strict blanket policy.

Cote’s vivid gouache and watercolor pencil illustrations have a gentle quality that matches nicely with the overall tone of the book.

“Jackson’s Blanket” is an uncomplicated story. Boy has blanket, boy won’t give it up, boy has an experience that makes him change his mind. It won’t wow ’em at story time or fly off the shelves like the latest and greatest, but this one could be good for kids who’ve gone through a similar ordeal. Just don’t tell me if they ever publish “Jackson’s Maple Wood Keepsake”.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Filed under: Reviews