Tom and Millie's Great Big Treasure Hunt - Story Snug

Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt by Guy Parker-Rees

Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt is a first adventure story which introduces counting, colours and shapes through Guy Parker-Rees’ fantastically detailed illustrations. We spend lots of time poring over each page to see what all the animals are doing while we are helping Tom and Millie to hunt for clues.

The Story: Tom and Millie have a list of things to find on their treasure hunt. They solve the clues and collect their friends as they go from the beach to the playground, through the town to the play centre and to the market before their last clue takes them to their final destination (I won’t spoil the surprise!).

A cast of beautifully illustrated, animal characters in a variety of familiar settings give lots of stimulus for discussion as the child joins Tom and Millie in their hunt for clues. The number of items to look for increases by one on each page and each item has a distinctive shape and colour. There are also friends to look for on each page and they join Tom and Millie to help them. It is such a fun, interactive story and there is a lot of humour in the pictures (our favourites include a horse going down the slide in the playground and an unhappy pig having suncream put on his back!). Each time we read we notice new details in the pictures, yesterday we wondered whether an anteater would want to eat anything from the fast food stand at the market! The story introduces everyday vocabulary (especially animal vocabulary) to young children and we often count the characters on each page or play ‘I Spy’ (either with colours or initial letters). It’s also a great story to introduce new vocabulary to non native English speakers.

Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt is a fun adventure story which grows with the child, there is so much to see and talk about in the pictures with the added challenge of solving the colourful clues.

Age Range: 2 +

Author / Illustrator: Guy Parker-Rees

You can also join Tom and Millie in Whizzy Bizzy People.


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14 responses to “Tom & Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt by Guy Parker-Rees”


  1. Jaymie Shook avatar

    Definitely tones of Scarry, which is excellent 🙂 Thanks for linking into the KLBH!


    1. Catherine avatar

      You’re welcome :). Did you know that a 50th anniversary version of Richard Scarry’s ‘Best Word Book Ever’ has been published?


  2. Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews avatar

    I would have been all over this book when my kids were younger. I love the whole idea behind it. My kids used to even love the I Spy books, and these seem like a step up from those. Thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop.


    1. Catherine avatar

      I love any kind of book that encourages a child to interact with the pictures and the story. Tom and Millie’s Great Big Treasure Hunt stands up to repeated reading as there are so many details in the pictures.


  3. Reshama avatar

    Reminds me of the Richard Scarry books! Treasure hunt and learning is definitely the way to go with this age group 🙂
    Thanks for sharing this on Kid Lit Blog Hop!
    -Reshama @StackingBooks.com


    1. Catherine avatar

      The details in the pictures are very similar to the Richard Scarry books which I loved as a child.


  4. Katie @ Youth Literature Reviews avatar

    This looks like such a fun book! Thanks for sharing with the Kid Lit Blog Hop!


    1. Catherine avatar

      It is a lot of fun and inspired us to create our own treasure hunt 🙂


  5. Linda avatar

    This type of book is fun for the curious and a great way to teach a lot of things. Sounds like a winner! Thanks for sharing it today.


    1. Catherine avatar

      There’s a lot of learning in this book, a really fun way to learn 🙂


  6. Colette avatar

    It sounds like a lovely book. I’m always on the look out for new reads for Ben and Chloe (as much for my own sanity at bedtime as their enjoyment!)


    1. Catherine avatar

      My daughter is choosing a variety of books to read at the moment which is lovely. The phases where you read the same book every night for weeks seem to reassure the child but drive the parents crazy!


  7. Barbara Mojica avatar

    Sounds like my kind of book, treasure hunt, learning skills, humor, and great illustrations!


    1. Catherine avatar

      There’s something for everybody in this book 🙂