What makes a king? Is it his sceptre, jewels, and crown? Or is it something less tangible? When young Jacob complains that his brother always gets to be king of the castle, Gramps takes Jacob on a camping trip to Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park to see what kind of royal riches they might find there. It doesn’t take Jacob long to catch on: in the woods, he finds leaves as green as emeralds and amber in the eyes of deer; at the seashore, he sees “sun diamonds sparkling on the water.”

Jacob discovers the wealth of colours and textures surrounding him in the foliage, rocks, and wildlife in the park, fondly known as Keji. Gramps provides the opportunity for Jacob to look carefully and listen quietly, and the boy comes up with his own ideas, creating a sceptre from a stick, a crown of red berries and grass, and a throne out of a boulder. Sunset on the final evening in Keji fills the sky with gold and ruby, and Jacob feels he truly has become a king on this wonderful trip.

Moments of discovery are “photographed” by Jacob and Gramps. An italicized “click” in the text and an accompanying “photo” (an outlined box painted into Patsy MacKinnon’s watercolour landscapes) highlight each treasure and where it was found. While these features make the point clear for readers adding up the various jewels, the “clicks” in the text become rather irritating. Nonetheless, the overall idea of the book – learning how to be a king by appreciating the riches in the world around us – is well developed and handled with an appealingly light touch. A final page celebrates Kejimkujik Park and provides more information about the wealth of beauty it contains.