32 p., Candlewick, 2004. Criticism by others can lead to painful self-criticism and shutting down. Ramon loves to draw, but when his brother laughs at him, and hints that his drawings don't look like what he means them to look like, he questions himself. He can't make his drawings look "right." Finally, he stops drawing altogether. Then he discovers that his sister, Marisol, has been rescuing his discarded drawings and hanging them on her walls. The one that his brother had laughed at is one of Marisol's favorites. When Ramon says that it doesn't look like a vase of flowers, Marisol replies that it looks "vase-ish." As he looks at his drawings on her walls, he realizes that they really do look "ish", and gives himself permission to think and draw "ish-ly." He even begins to write "ish-ly." He lives "ishfully ever after." With expressive, charming, yet somehow scribbly-looking, illustrations rendered in ink, watercolors, and tea, this story shows children how to allow themselves to create from who they are, rather than what they think (or they think others think) they should be. Ages 4-9
Showing posts with label imagination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label imagination. Show all posts
Not A Box by Andrea Portis
32 p., HarperCollins, 2007. With imagination, a box can be almost anything. In this story, an unseen character who doesn't understand this questions a little rabbit, who is making believe the box is a car, a mountain, a burning building, and many other things. The unseen character keeps asking about the box, and the rabbit answers that it's not a box. At the end, when asked, "Well, what is it then?" the rabbit answers, "It's my Not-a-Box!" Illustrated with line drawings that show the "real" things in black and the "imagined" ones in red, this story encourages transformation through imagination. Ages 2-6
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
32 p., HarperCollins, 2008. Imagination can take the form of seeing something new in an ordinary object. In this story, a little pig's stick becomes a fishing pole, a paintbrush, a horse, even a sword to fight a dragon. An unseen observer keeps mentioning "that stick," and each time, the little pig responds that it isn't a stick. Finally, the observer asks, "Then what is it?" The little pig replies, "It's my Not-a-Stick!" It can be anything the pig's imagination makes it. Illustrated with simple drawings, this story supports children's use of imagination to transform their experience. Ages 2-6
Sally and the Some-Thing by George O'Connor
32 p., Roaring Brook, 2006. Sometimes, making new friends involves looking past both appearances and an initial impression that you don't have anything in common. When Sally is bored, she rides her bike to the pond and goes fishing. She doesn't catch any fish, but she meets a green, slimy-looking Some-Thing. Many kids would be scared, but Sally isn't - she's happy that the Some-Thing isn't borning, and invites him to play. The Some-Thing isn't good at the kinds of things Sally likes to do, and it turns out that Sally finds the Some-Thing's favorite things either boring or too difficult. But Sally is a natural problem-solver, and she doesn't give up. Instead, she proposes that they make up new games to play together. This works out wonderfully for them - they play all day, until the Some-Thing is exhausted, and Sally takes him home to the pond. Colorfully and expressively illustrated, this story supports children in using their problem-solving skills toward making new friends. Ages 4-7
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai
Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino. 32 p., Children's Book Press, 2006. Systematic acts of egregious racism are painful and confusing. When Mari's family is placed in an internment camp in Utah during World War II, she is discouraged and confused. She knows she's done nothing wrong, yet much has been taken from her. There were sunflowers in their old home, and Mari's mother plants sunflower seeds. Mari attends art classes twice a week in the camp, and at the first class, she can't think of anything to draw. Her parents each offer empathy and encouragement. At the second class meeting, with her teacher's support, Mari thinks of something to draw: her garden back home. Her parents and brother enjoy her picture, and it seems to brighten their barrack. As she continues to make art, Mari also becomes able to ask Papa about some of her worries, and as a result, she receives reassurance. She also makes friends with a classmate, and becomes more able to participate in class. But she's still discouraged about the sunflower seeds her Mama had planted - until her new friend points out that they've begun to grow. The seedlings give Mari hope that she can stay connected to her life outside the camp. This bilingual (English/Japanese) story is based on the author's mother's experiences, and some of the softly colored multimedia illustrations are based on the author's grandmother's paintings. This story shows children how to use imagination and creativity to cope with even the most difficult experiences. Ages 6-11
Milli, Jack, and the Dancing Cat by Stephen Michael King
32 p., Philomel, 2004. Sometimes creative children may be shy about expressing their imagination. Children who feel this way will find a role model in Milli, who has the soul of an artist and spends her days making very plain shoes. When two vagabond minstrels, Jack and the Dancing Cat, wander into town, they agree to trade dance lessons for new shoes. Milli finds that dancing makes her feel free and confident. When it's time to make shoes for her new friends, she makes unique, remarkable ones - and makes herself some special things, too. Jack encourages Milli to show her creativity to the world, Although she's scared at first, dancing helps her to remember what it feels like to be confident, and she decides to go ahead. People love what she's made, and she continues on her creative path. The watercolor and ink illustrations are both gentle and exuberant. Milli will help children feel free to express their true selves. Ages 5-8
This Morning Sam Went To Mars by Nancy Carlson
32 p., Free Spirit, 2013. When you have trouble paying attention to things in your everyday life, it’s hard to do what’s expected of you. Sam has a wonderful imagination, and tends to pay more attention to the adventures he invents than to getting ready for school on time or doing schoolwork. His dad, his teacher, and people in general are always telling him to focus. Sam feels frustrated and sad, and doubts his own abilities. Knowing that Sam’s abilities are strong, his dad takes him to a doctor. The doctor tells Sam that he has a powerful brain that needs good care; for example, adequate sleep and a non-distracting place for his desk. (She also tells him to reduce his junk food intake and to eat “super foods” daily. It seems to me that this isn’t likely to be harmful, although my reading of the literature suggests that the role of nutrition in attention problems has not been well established). Medication isn’t mentioned. Sam’s doctor also encourages him to use his imagination. Sam works hard to do as his doctor has suggested, but sometimes it’s still hard to pay attention, and people still tell him to focus. But he persists, and eventually, with continued effort, although he isn’t perfect, he’s able to do well in daily activities and in school. He also continues to enjoy his imagination. Illustrated with charming, upbeat drawings, this story offers empathy and support to children who struggle with attention. Ages 4-8
Neil's Castle by Alissa Imre Geis
32 p., Viking, 2004. Imagination is a special gift, and there's a unique satisfaction in bringing what we've imagined into the visible world. Neil dreams of a beautiful castle, and wakes up remembering all the details of it. He tries several ways to re-create the castle, problem-solving intelligently by considering what doesn't work about one solution and trying another. It doesn't work as a sand castle, a block castle, or a castle made from chairs and a blanket. He explains to his father that he wants to draw something "really big - bigger than me," and his father helps him line the walls of his room with huge pieces of paper. Neil draws his castle on the paper, stopping from time to time to consider its similarity to his dream castle. When it's just right, he paints it. He's excited to show his father, and when they pull up chairs, it's as if they're sitting inside the castle - just as Neil did in his dream, except this time, they're together and close. The illustrations are colorful, and at the same time have a contemplative quality that fits the mood of the book. This story shows children how they can use problem-solving and imagination together to create joy and connection. Ages 4-7
Hurricane by David Wiesner
32 p., Clarion, 1990. When a tree falls during a hurricane, it becomes the scene of diverse, exciting adventures for two young brothers. George is in his early school years, and David is preschool age. When the tree is cut up and hauled away, they half-hope that another tree will fall during the next storm. The watercolor illustrations use light and shadow effectively to show the moods of the storm, its aftermath, and the imaginary worlds of the tree. This story shows children a way to use imagination to create hope out of a scary situation. Ages 3-8
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar
40 p., Candlewick, 2004.
Sometimes our ideas about what's perfect make it difficult to see what really is perfect. In this story, Bertie loves the color blue, and so he wants a blue dog more than anything. When he yaps while pretending to be the blue dog he wishes for, he's surprised when someone yaps back - a little white dog with black spots, "all alone and looking for an owner." Bertie immediately thinks the dog is wonderful, and adopts it. But the dog isn't blue. He finally solves this problem by giving the dog something blue: the name Blue. They become best friends, and love each other very much. With its simple, expressive illustrations, this story shows children the possibilities of using their imagination to discover what they want, and recognizing when they've discovered this in reality, even if it doesn't appear so at first.
Ages 3-5
Sometimes our ideas about what's perfect make it difficult to see what really is perfect. In this story, Bertie loves the color blue, and so he wants a blue dog more than anything. When he yaps while pretending to be the blue dog he wishes for, he's surprised when someone yaps back - a little white dog with black spots, "all alone and looking for an owner." Bertie immediately thinks the dog is wonderful, and adopts it. But the dog isn't blue. He finally solves this problem by giving the dog something blue: the name Blue. They become best friends, and love each other very much. With its simple, expressive illustrations, this story shows children the possibilities of using their imagination to discover what they want, and recognizing when they've discovered this in reality, even if it doesn't appear so at first.
Ages 3-5
Henry's Amazing Imagination by Nancy Carlson
32 p., Viking, 2008.
Sometimes kids tell lies when they want to express what they’ve imagined. They may worry that the truth is boring. Little mouse Henry uses his imagination at show-and-tell time, telling his classmates strange and exciting tales. When they become skeptical, Henry realizes that he “didn’t mean to fib … it’s just that his imagination got mixed up with the truth.” Recognizing Henry’s imagination, his teacher suggests that he use it to write stories. Then, Henry writes stories and at show and tell, he tells about the boring events of his everyday life. That doesn’t work for him or his classmates. He comes up with the perfect solution: he reads his stories to his class during show and tell. The author’s illustrations are full of color, charm, and expressiveness. With Henry, children will learn to channel their imaginations in positive ways.
Ages 4-7
Sometimes kids tell lies when they want to express what they’ve imagined. They may worry that the truth is boring. Little mouse Henry uses his imagination at show-and-tell time, telling his classmates strange and exciting tales. When they become skeptical, Henry realizes that he “didn’t mean to fib … it’s just that his imagination got mixed up with the truth.” Recognizing Henry’s imagination, his teacher suggests that he use it to write stories. Then, Henry writes stories and at show and tell, he tells about the boring events of his everyday life. That doesn’t work for him or his classmates. He comes up with the perfect solution: he reads his stories to his class during show and tell. The author’s illustrations are full of color, charm, and expressiveness. With Henry, children will learn to channel their imaginations in positive ways.
Ages 4-7