Beau Silva, age four, listened with interest as his father, Ross Silva, read to him from Out of a Jar during a recent Friday’s “Read & Play,” a weekly gathering for toddlers and their caregivers at the Truro Public Library. As the story unfolded, Beau’s expressions changed. He looked concerned, then joyful, then excited. This is a book about big emotions.
The book won the 2023 Outer Cape Mock Caldecott award, a local version of the prize given by the Association for Library Service to Children for the year’s most distinguished American picture book. The winner was announced on Jan. 28 after youth services librarian Maggie Hanelt counted the votes. Out of a Jar was the favorite among six picture books for 91 local students and other readers.
The mock awards are encouraged by the American Library Association, and the annual contest here debuted in Truro in 2015. The Outer Cape’s Mock Caldecott Committee now includes members from the Provincetown Schools, the Provincetown Public Library, the Truro Central School, and the Truro Public Library.
Out of a Jar is colorful. It was written and illustrated by Deborah Marcero, who favors ink with brush and pen, pencil and colored pencil, watercolor, and gouache. She also uses digital illustration tools. Marcero, who was once a language arts teacher, lives in Michigan.
Some of the words in Out of a Jar might be difficult for a four- or five-year-old, but the message of the book comes through even for pre-readers. In it, Llewellyn, a rabbit and the book’s main character, would rather not feel unpleasant emotions and deals with them by putting them into jars.
What Llewellyn discovers along the way is that, if he wants to avoid all his strong feelings, joy and excitement will have to be bottled up as well as feelings of disappointment and frustration.
Marcero uses vibrant colors and expressive lines to represent a wide range of feelings — ones both adults and children struggle with. Meanwhile, cute characters invite readers to immerse themselves in Llewellyn’s world.
Beau said his favorite illustration was one in which Llewellyn tries to “push and shove and shut his feelings away.” On the page is a closet full of jars of different colors so overfilled they are cracking.
By the end of the book, Llewellyn musters up the courage to feel each emotion, share it, give it a hug, and let it go. Beau and his father agreed it was a good read that ended well.
