Every weekend the sisters love to accompany their dad as he retrieves unwanted goods from other people’s discard piles and brings them home to fix and give the items a new life. They all enjoy their new found discoveries and look forward to finding the ‘next treasure’.
One day as Millie is rummaging through a pile of furniture when she finds an unwanted empty frame. Looking through the frame Millie begins to see things she had never noticed before. Small things like rocks and leaves that we often ignore but now become moments of wonder when seen through Millie’s frame.
Millie shares her frame of wonder with others so they too can capture the important things in life, whether it is loved ones, the wonder of nature or to reflect on past moments that brought joy. Everyone begins to appreciate how this discarded frame can capture a sense of happiness.
Then one day Millie is told that her little shadow, Sophie, is unwell and needs to be in hospital. When Millie visits Sophie she soon realises she needs to bring warmth and joy into the hospital to help her little sister feel less fear and find some happiness. And she instantly knows she possess something special that will brighten Sophie’s days and help her imagine the beauty and fun in the world beyond the walls of the hospital.
One day as Millie is rummaging through a pile of furniture when she finds an unwanted empty frame. Looking through the frame Millie begins to see things she had never noticed before. Small things like rocks and leaves that we often ignore but now become moments of wonder when seen through Millie’s frame.
Millie shares her frame of wonder with others so they too can capture the important things in life, whether it is loved ones, the wonder of nature or to reflect on past moments that brought joy. Everyone begins to appreciate how this discarded frame can capture a sense of happiness.
Then one day Millie is told that her little shadow, Sophie, is unwell and needs to be in hospital. When Millie visits Sophie she soon realises she needs to bring warmth and joy into the hospital to help her little sister feel less fear and find some happiness. And she instantly knows she possess something special that will brighten Sophie’s days and help her imagine the beauty and fun in the world beyond the walls of the hospital.
Phil Cummings and Shane De Vries have paired up before to give us gorgeous books, such as Boy and Crumbs, with heartfelt messages through words and illustrations. Millie and the Frame of Wonder is another tenderly told story with a wonderful balance of joy and wonder, as well as some beautiful moments that makes the reader want to take their own frame and find the small treasures we often overlook in our lives.
Using beautiful muted colours with burst of colours, the reader is able to identify the wonderful moments of joy Millie, her family and friends experience when looking through her frame of wonder. The almost dreamlike pictures during Sophie’s stay in hospital, also show we can imagine wonderful moments and things, even if they are not readily before us. As a fan of endpapers that tell or highlight a little more of the story, I love the sisterly moment at the end.
This is story that could truly inspire parents and teachers to find or make a frame of wonder and let young (and old) find one’s own moment of joy and happiness to share and discuss. A truly delightful book worth sharing with our young readers.
Title: Millie and the Frame of Wonder
Author: Phil Cummings
Illustrator: Shane DeVries
Publisher: Scholastic, $26.99
Publication Date: 1 August 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781761645716
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Picture Book
