Cousins Too: In Search of the Hidden Treasure by Janel Brown Stormer and Mary Ellen Brown Carlson introduces us to a group of twenty-eight cousins gathered at Great-Grandma Brown’s place. After hearing their dads trade stories around a campfire about fossils, bears, and a legendary hidden stash, the kids decide they aren't waiting around anymore. At the crack of dawn, they sneak into the woods to find the goods themselves. They end up decoding actual carvings on trees, trekking through mud, and checking under bridges for X marks based on the old stories they heard. It’s a fast-moving scramble through the trees as they hunt for a specific rock pile shaped like an arrowhead. The stakes are mostly about proving the legends right and seeing if they can actually crack the clues. Will they eventually dig up something real before the adults catch on?

Cousins Too: In Search of the Hidden Treasure by Janel Brown Stormer and Mary Ellen Brown Carlson is an engaging read that moves at a fast pace once the kids hit the trail. The way the cousins interact brings a lot of chaotic, fun energy to the story, especially when they have to combine their brains to solve the codes. While the world-building is limited to the family farm and woods, it feels like a private kingdom for these kids. The authors' quirky but captivating writing makes the outdoor setting accessible and exciting for young readers. To help bring the scale of the group to life, Wes Bossman’s illustrations do a great job of showing us how the kids navigate the creek and the woods together. The mystery of the hidden loot was resolved in a satisfying way, though the ending turns out to be more about the people than the gold. Parents, grab this book if you want a simple, classic outdoor mystery for your children.

Cousins Too is a family adventure picture book by Janel Brown Stormer and Mary Ellen Brown Carlson. The book follows a family reunion at Great-Grandma Brown's house, where twenty-eight cousins gather around a campfire to tell stories. Everyone's favorite was Great-Grandpa Brown's story of the hidden treasure box. Early in the morning, the cousins woke up and set off on a hike, hunting for buried treasure as their parents had told them. The young cousins soon find markings on a tree and follow other clues all the way to find a buried metal box deep in the ground. They carried the box to Great-Grandma's house, planning to open it soon. However, the treasure they discovered inside the box was not what they were expecting.

Cousins Too is a heartwarming story about friendship, adventure, and the joys of family gatherings. This delightful tale by authors Janel Brown Stormer and Mary Ellen Brown Carlson is a great reminder that similarly aged cousins are usually the first best friends for children, especially in families that often see each other during the holidays. The narrative is fun and adventurous, perfect for young readers. It's a scavenger-hunt story, so it's bound to get children interested in outdoor adventures. I loved the humor and dialogue in this book. The authors really capture children's affinity for adventure and fun with the character interactions. Wes Bossman's illustrations beautifully complement the light-hearted tone of the narrative. All in all, this is a wonderful picture book for adventure-loving kids. Young readers are going to love this.