Percy’s Museum
Percy’s Museum
Moving to a new place and accepting a new normal can always be challenging. In this story, Percy, a young boy, moves from his home in the bustling city to a quiet countryside. His new home seems to be very quiet compared to the city life where there was always something to do and many people around. Here, he seems to be lonely, and things are just not the same as before.
However, after some observation of nature, Percy realizes that there is a lot of life in his new home. He sees everything changes in nature, too, and this too can be beautiful change. With this realization, he is more accepting of his new home.
Everything changes.
Flowers bloom and die.
Caterpillars become dull brown cocoons … and then colorful butterflies.
Given how much the world in which we live has changed in the last year, Percy’s Museum can be reassuring and comforting for children who are experiencing a new normal. Mok’s illustrations are also very soft, colourful and do justice to the story.
Diverse representation of characters and stories is important. Featuring a young Black child as the protagonist helps to make this story relatable to children who are not always represented in children’s picture books and also helps to show diverse characters in a positive light. Percy’s Museum, a simple, yet sweet story, is perfect for the current times.
Sharanja Jeneeit is a librarian at Toronto Public Library.