Treasure in an Oatmeal Box

Treasure in an Oatmeal Box is about a ten-year-old boy named Kevin Hallas and his twin sister named Kim. Kevin is mentally handicapped, but surprisingly seems to have a better understanding of love and the meaning of life than most people ever acquire. Kevin doesn't seem to mind that the other kids don't play with him. He seems fine with the fact that his only friends are a black lab named Wiggles, his sister, an elderly couple named the Matthews, and his parents. He is happy-go-lucky and has a carefree life. He and his family just moved to North Carolina from Texas so they don't have any friends yet. Kevin proves that he is carefree when he wets his pants and still says that he had a good day in school even though he didn't meet anyone but the people that laughed at him about his accident. Kevin got his dog Wiggles when Wiggles was just a puppy. He got run over by the school bus (Wiggles, not Kenny). Kenny and Kim saved him (Wiggles), but Kim got all the work and Kenny got all the love. The main conflict was Kim's. She often felt resentful of Kenny. He got all the special attention and she always got made fun of on his account. Kim was polite to Kenny though; she just talked it over with her mom. She was always nice to Kenny and that was probably what kept him going. He had many adventures in this book. He proves that you need to look for the good from within.

I think everyone should read this book. I read it when I was about nine and cried through the last half of the book. I think it must take a lot of powerful writing to make a nine-year-old sob through a book. This book touched my life and I have always had a special passion for those "special" people I have come in contact with all because of the treasure in the oatmeal box...

When this story first came out in hardcover, my daughter was a very warm, sensitive, little eight year old. Now, at seventeen, Treasure in an Oatmeal Box continues to be the story she remembers and loves the most from when she was little. Her compassion for "special" children has grown over the years and she has helped many of her classmates who have special needs. I read this wonderful story to her the first time, and she read it herself several times after that. Treasure in an Oatmeal Box is still on her book shelf. Since then, I have read it to my granddaughter and have given another copy to a mother of five. It is truly a moving story to use to teach your children compassion for those "special" people they'll encounter throughout life. I highly recommend this book for all children to read.

This book won't take an adult long to read, but it will it will touch your heart for a long time afterwards. It's a great read-aloud book, but prepared for a few tears along the way. I've read it to several children of all ages, and not one has disliked the book. I've given it as gifts and am always loaning my own copy out. It is the touching story of twins who are very different from one another and how those differences affect their day-to-day lives. More importantly, it's a story about not letting differences get in the way of the really important things.

This is a powerful book about about appreciating differences and learning to love. Mr. Gire touches the heart of every reader in this beautifully told story about twins who are very different from each other. Kevin struggles with the daily routines of life. His sister Kim struggles with being the sibling of a mentally challenged brother. Parents of special needs children should not miss this book. Mr. Gire lets the reader feel their pain, joy, and pride. It is ten-year old Kevin who teaches all of us about what it truly means to love. This is a great read-aloud story. Classroom children immediately make friends with Kevin and Kim and share in their laughter, innocence, pain, and disappointment. As Kim opens her heart to her Mom about her embarrassment and anger regarding Kevin, Mr. Gire lets the reader know what it is like to walk around in both Kim and her Mom's shoes. Treasure in an Oatmeal Box finds an entrance to the door of the reader's heart, and the reader comes away forever changed in his view of life.