Use Your Imagination!

Matt de la Peña

Milo is on a long subway ride with his older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There's the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apa rtment full of pets. There's the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there's the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo--walking the same path, going to the exact same place--Milo realizes that you can't really know anyone just by looking at them.

Antoinette Portis

Maggie likes being a kitty. But sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes a girl has to be super. One little girl transforms herself over and over in this inventive picture book from the bestselling author and illustrator of Not a Box, Antoinette Port is. Once again, Portis shows us that children make ordinary life fun using their imaginations.

Jill Ross Nadler

An old Jewish folk tale in a modern-day library... with a magical librarian! Stevie craves quiet until he meets Miss Understood, a magical librarian whose books come to life and wreak havoc, in this modern day twist on an old Yiddish folktale.

Nancy Carlson

When Henry's imagination gets mixed up with the truth during show and tell, his teacher suggests that he write and illustrate his own stories.

Judy Schachner

Sarabella is always thinking—conjuring, daydreaming, and creating new worlds from her imagination. There is so much going on in her head that it can barely be contained. But there are times when daydreaming is decidedly not a good thing—like when you're supposed to be doing multiplication tables. Luckily, Sarabella has an understanding teacher and with his encouragement She comes up with her own idea to show everyone who she is.

In spare words and vibrant illustrations, a young child mimics the actions of several different dinosaurs as he imagines he is one of them. After each spread showing the boy pretending, readers turn the page to find each dinosaur the boy imagines. An na Grossnickle Hines's ability to showcase a child's perspective makes I Am a Tyrannosaurus perfect for toddlers who love dinosaurs.

Marianna Coppo

An offbeat story about adventure and creativity featuring a cast of quirky self aware picture book characters. Have you ever opened a book, only to discover that the characters inside already know they're inside of one? All that's left for them to do now is wait for the story to arrive, but it's certainly taking its time in getting here. This cleverly self-aware, interactive picture book, loosely based on Waiting For Godot, introduces a charming cast of characters illustrated in Marianna Coppo's quirky and delicate style. Young readers will learn that instead of waiting around for stories to happen, they should go out into the world and create their own!

Christian Robinson

What if you… encountered another perspective? Discovered another world? Met another you? What might you do?

Shinsuke Yoshitake

A laugh-out-loud guessing game bedtime book! It's time for bed, but Natsumi has a brilliant idea, even better than going to sleep: She'll pretend to be something and Mom will guess what she is! Ready? Is she a caterpillar? An arrow sign? An upside-down bug? Take your best guess, then laugh along with Natsumi and her mom as they play a pre-bedtime game of charades full of silliness and surprises!

Hervé Tullet

Make some noise! Shout "OH!" Whisper "oh!" Say "Zoop"? Yes! "Zoop!" "Zoop!" "Zoop!" The newest book from Hervé Tullet magically responds with bursts of color and moving shapes, empowering c hildren by letting their imaginations liberate and direct each page's reaction. Tullet's books define the genre of participatory bookmaking, encouraging readers to explore and interact with the physical book in all its dimensions. The reward is tremendous: a journey of whimsy and sheer fun that extends well beyond the book's pages. In this worthy and exhilarating companion to the bestselling trio launched with Press Here, Tullet's beloved dots will have readers literally "Ooh"-ing and "Ahh"-ing out loud in a happy collective encore.

Matthew Cordell

Alice and her family are stuck indoors on a snowy day. Alice loves to read, and when her dad suggests that she make her own book, she snaps out of her "I'm bored" mode and makes up a story that lasts till the lights go out later that n ight. Here is a book that celebrates books, reading, and an imaginative way that one family handles being housebound.

Einat Tsarfati

A young girl loves building sandcastles. But not just any sandcastles. She builds one so big and grand and lovely that all the royals of the world come to visit. There are banquets and balls and tournaments, a greenhouse for cacti, a staircase for sk ateboarding, and ice cream around the clock. Everyone seems to be having fun, until they discover sand in the royal almond strudel . . . and the fig milk bath . . . and everywhere! With a keen eye for the absurd, author-illustrator Einat Tsarfati invites readers beyond the crocodile moat to explore the intricately detailed, increasingly wild festivities that echo the arc of a day at the beach, from euphoria to gritty discomfort. The diverse cast of regal guests, from a Rapunzel-esque princess in pj's and unicorn slippers to a pair of knights playing badminton, is just as inspired.