Tag Archives: Imagination

Elem. – The World in Our Backyard

Posted on by

Gigot, Jami. The World in Our Backyard. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-1-665-93512-8. $18.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-1.

No matter where you live, there is a lot to discover when you step outside. Piles of dirt can be mountains, pools can be oceans, and sand can be the desert. As the children in this book discover, adventure can be found anywhere if you simply use your imagination. Throughout the book, sidewalk chalk drawings become art galleries, a snow fort becomes a castle, and a garden becomes a farm. A quilt tent is a secret cave, and water from a fire hydrant is a waterfall. Young readers will be mesmerized by the abundant possibilities that can be found in the great outdoors.

THOUGHTS: This is a beautiful celebration of nature and imagination, and it will inspire readers to explore the possibilities in their own backyards.

Picture Book        

Tags: City and Town Life, Country Life, Nature, Imagination, Our World

Elem. – Trucky Roads

Posted on by

Miller, Lulu. Trucky Roads. Illustrated by Hui Skipp. Paula Wiseman Book, 2024. 978-1-665-91917-3. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-2.

When most people look at the road they just see trucks, but this book encourages the reader to look closer. Yes there are fire trucks and dump trucks, but what about tow trucks, monster trucks, or even comet trucks?? The narrator encourages readers to think about the different type of trucks that you could make up in your mind.

THOUGHTS: This would be a great read aloud to go along with other nonfiction books about trucks or even other picture books that are about trucks. This book also would be great to encourage students to make up their own trucks.

Picture Book

Elem. – The Curious Why

Posted on by

DiTerlizzi, Angela. The Curious Why. Illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gomez. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-0-316-50014-2. 34 p. $18.99. Grades PK-3.

The story opens with a little boy who has grown bored of all of his usual sources of entertainment: toys, screens, playing, etc. Enter “The Curious Why” who helps all “to see that you’re only bored if you choose to be!” Why leads to other questions like how, what, where, and when. The kids who ask why end up looking for answers in the library, where other kids are also researching their own passions. The Curious Why then leads the characters through all sorts of adventures ending with the message: “Now there’s no limit to how far you’ll go, how much you’ll learn, or how much you’ll know!”

THOUGHTS: The colorful illustrations and rhyming text will delight young readers and inspire them to find answers to all their questions and to love learning. My own child really loved going through the book over and over again finding new details in the picture. For an educational setting, I definitely would recommend this as a supplemental text to introduce research projects. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Between Words: A Friendship Tale

Posted on by

Tanaka, Saki. Between Words: A Friendship Tale. Orchard Books, 2024. 978-1-338-73625-0. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

Kai follows the seasons with Pa. He is never in one place for too long, never developing close friendships. Most of the time, the kids he meets do not understand him anyways. When Kai and his Pa settle in a village filled with pools, this may be the chance for Kai to make some friends, even if the words they speak to each other are unfamiliar. Unfortunately, things do not go his way, and Kai accidentally kicks his favorite stone into a pool. Diving into the pool after it, Kai discovers something amazing – a beautiful friendship between words.

THOUGHTS: A beautifully illustrated book that shows friendship and connections dispute differences.

Picture Book

Elem. – Sourgrass

Posted on by

Lim, Hope. Sourgrass. Illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani. Beach Lane Books, 2024. 978-1-665-93186-1. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-3. 

Sourgrass tells the story of two best friends named Sofia and May. They are next door neighbors, and they have wonderful adventures together in the field of sourgrass they find. They promise to be best friends forever, until one day May moves away. Sofia sends letters to her, but she doesn’t hear back and she worries that May forgot about her. When spring comes Sofia is sitting in her backyard when she notices a sourgrass flower poking through the fence from May’s old house. She remembers what May told her about sourgrass and how “it shows up every spring, keeping its promise.” Sofia goes into the yard, wishing May were there to see everything and wonders if she will remember her. She goes back into her yard excited about all the things she gets to tell May and the last illustration shows May at the gate coming to surprise Sofia. 

THOUGHTS: This is such a sweet story with beautiful illustrations that enhance the story and give a dream-like quality to the book. Also each girl starts the story with a stuffed animal; Sofia has a mouse and May has a goose, and when they get to the sourgrass field their stuffed animals come to life. Such a sweet and unique addition to the story, and it will cause the reader to go back and track their stuffed animals antics through the book. Highly recommended for elementary school collections.

Picture Book

Elem. – Built to Last

Posted on by

Le, Minh. Built to Last. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. 978-0-593-56917-7. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades PreK-2. 

Built to Last follows two friends who meet and become friends by accident, literally.  Together they begin building things even if those things don’t stay up for very long. They go through their lives, building bigger things together and they end up wanting to build something that will last forever. They do make something huge and impressive, but it breaks and they are both frustrated and annoyed with each other. They wonder if maybe they should just give up and start over, but one of the boys remembers the other times that things they built broke. And he decides to turn around and help his friend, who decides the same thing at the same time.

THOUGHTS: This is a wonderfully illustrated picture book done in Dan Santat’s style which is, of course, amazing as always! The message found in this picture book is really special and would make an amazing addition to any elementary school collection.

Picture Book

Elem. – Ahoy!

Posted on by

Blackall, Sohpie. Ahoy! Anne Schwartz Books, 2024. 978-0-593-42939-6. $19.99. 48 p. Grades PreK-3.

A little boy pretends to be a sailor on the high seas and all he wants is for his parent to stop vacuuming and climb aboard! As the story continues, the little boy’s imagination takes over the pages, turning the rug into an ocean and a set of chairs into a ship. Through his imaginative play, the boy and his parent battle the rough seas, take on sea creatures, and get rescued by seagulls. Then “ahoy!” they reach a light house where the other parent joins in on the fun as well.

THOUGHTS: This story is true to a parent’s sense of duty and responsibility and a child’s imagination at play. All the child wants is for the parent to play with him, but the parent keeps getting distracted by household chores and phone calls. The parents in the book are non-gender specific. The text is simple, but enthusiastic and even includes a glossary of nautical phrases. Overall, a great read for young ones with big imaginations. Recommended for ages 4-8.

Picture Book

Elem. – Moon Bear

Posted on by

Welsh, Clare Helen. Moon Bear. Illustrated by Carolina T. Godina. Quarto Publishing, 2024. 978-0-711-29101-0. $18.99. 22 p. Grades K-2.

In this nearly wordless picture book, Ettie’s mother tells her it’s time to get ready for bed. Ettie takes a bath, picks out pajamas, reads a bedtime story with her mom, and then hides under the covers with a flashlight in hand seemingly afraid of the dark. Suddenly, a magical flurry of lights peeks through her window. Ettie discovers she is able to manipulate the mystical moon light and in the night sky she draws a bear. Magically, the bear appears in her room and together they play until they fall asleep side by side. In the morning, Ettie is saddened to find the moon bear is gone, but she can’t wait to get ready for bed the next night to once again be reunited with her friend. 

THOUGHTS: Although there are only two sentences in the entire book, the story is told beautifully through its illustrations. Readers will have to observe each picture carefully to follow Ettie’s night time adventure. This story captures a child’s imagination and the magic that youth holds, perfect for ages 4-7. 

Picture Book          

Elem. – Frostfire

Posted on by

MacKay, Elly. Frostfire. Tundra, 2024. 978-0-735-26698-8. $18.99. 28 p. Grades K-3.

Follow Miriam and Celeste on their magical winter adventure in Frostfire. The two sisters journey through the snowy forest looking for signs of the elusive snow dragon. Along their mystical quest through the diamond dust, they spot frostfire and build a snow fort. Miriam teaches Celeste all about snow dragons, where they like to hide, how they travel, and what they like to eat. When Celeste finally comes across a snow dragon, is it truly real or just her imagination? Celeste and Miriam watch together as the snow dragon flies away in the clouds and then make their way home through their snow kingdom. 

THOUGHTS: This is a really sweet story of a beautiful winter adventure between sisters. The illustrations match the magic in the story creating a winter wonderland. This story captures a child’s imagination and sense of wonder, perfect for ages 4-8. 

Picture Book

Elem. – Paint with Ploof

Posted on by

Clanton, Ben. Paint with Ploof. Illustrated by Andy Chou Musser. Tundra, 2024. 978-1-774-88194-1. $18.99. 28 p. Grades Preschool-1.

Simple text and colorful illustrations follow Ploof through his journey of making a rainbow for the first time. This interactive picture book has readers helping along as Ploof finds the perfect shape for his rainbow, selects the appropriate colors, and supports Ploof when things don’t go exactly as planned. Ploof learns that sometimes trying new things can be hard and it’s okay to feel sad, but with a couple deep breaths you might see things in a different light. 

THOUGHTS: This simple, fun story will have younger readers waving along with Ploof, answering questions and finding shapes throughout the text. There is even a nod to Clanton’s other well loved character Narwhal. This is a sweet picture book about trying new things and feeling your feelings when things aren’t perfect the first time. The story also provides messaging that what you create is uniquely you. Paint with Ploof is suitable for ages 2-5. 

Picture Book