matchbook diary + amazing matchboxy finds

The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

That’s Paul Fleischman of the brilliant picture book Weslandia. Not to mention the ever-inspiring, Seedfolks. When Fleischman writes a story, it’s going to be a story. A meaningful one.

 

 

 

(And you might also recognize Ibatoulline’s work from the illustrated version of The Giver or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.)

 

A great grandfather and great granddaughter meet for the first time.

 

 

He’s a collector. And a storyteller. An immigrant from Italy to America a long time ago.

 

“What’s a diary?”

“A way to remember what happens to you. Usually it’s a book people write in. When I was your age, I had a lot I wanted to remember, but I couldn’t read or write. So I started this. Open the first one.”

The great grandfather saved an object in each matchbox and each object is a story. An olive pit to soothe hunger. A sunflower seed shell for each day on the long boat ride.  A ticket to his first baseball game.

One generation passing on history and the ritual of collecting memories to the next.

The last page is guaranteed to make me (and possibly you) tear up, over and over.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for the images!

THE MATCHBOX DIARY. Text copyright © 2013 by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Bagram Ibatoulline. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

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Okay, so we’ve got a moving story of a matchbox diary. What other wonderful iterations of matchboxes are there? Here’s my matchbox roundup. Let me tell you it was hard to choose which from the many to include!

MATCHBOX CRAFTINESS

Printable matchbox messages. So funny and good!

A pretty awesome matchbox guitar you can make.

OTHER AMAZING MATCHBOOKY STUFF

Kim Welling’s Instant Comfort Pocket Boxes. A perfectly pleasing gift, no?

Matchcardens.

Oh you know, sweet and tiny gnomes in felt matchboxes.

Finally, Match Earrings from Drake General Store are pretty daring, eh?!