If your child loves to dream, create, and wonder
A River
Author: Marc Martin
Illustrator: Marc Martin
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
Awards: A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, 2017
Website
Beautiful Hands
Author: Kathryn Otoshi
Illustrator: Bret Baumgarten
Publisher: Blue Dot Press
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 8
Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
Author: Dan Santat
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
I love this story because it takes the idea of imaginary friends and gives it a little twist – here’s how: Imaginary friends already exist on an island far, far away; yet, they cannot leave until a child imagines the “friend” into existence. And so, they wait; unless, of course, you’re Beekle, who goes in search of his friend and finds real-life adventures waiting and, of course, a real-life friend. A terrific story about the power of imagination and friendship.
Awards: Caldecott Medal, 2015; Huffington Post Best Overall Picture Book of the Year; NPR “Great Read;” ALSC Notable Book for Children; A Chicago Public Library Best Picture Book of the Year
Daydreams
Author: Tom Feelings
Illustrator: Eloise Greenfield
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 5
Awards: Reading Rainbow Book; ALA Notable Children’s Book, 1981; Coretta Scott King Picture Book Honor Book; Library of Congress Children’s Books, 1981
If I had a little dream
Author: Nina Laden
Illustrator: Melissa Castrillon
Publisher: A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
I Have an Idea!
Author: Herve Tulletz
Illustrator: Herve Tullet
Publisher: Handprint Books, an imprint of Chronicle Books LLC
Recommended Age Range: 5 to 8
I Wonder
Author: K.A. Holt
Illustrator: Kenard Pak
Publisher: Random House
Recommended a Age Range: 3 to 7
Website
Imagine
Author: Bart Vivian
Illustrator: Bart Vivian
Publisher: Aladdin/Beyond Words
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Imagine is a beautiful book that shows just how powerful our imaginations can be. Simple words, with stunning illustrations, allow children to “see” their dreams. Brilliant.
Awards: Spring 2013 Kids Indie Next Pick
Imagine a City
Author: Elise Hurst
Illustrator: Elise Hurst
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Website
Inside My Imagination
Author: Marta Argeaga
Illustrator: Zuzanna Celej
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
Through wonderful metaphors and descriptive language, one young girl takes us on a journey through her imagination. Dream-like images capture the poetic words, creating a truly original work.
Awards: Best Illustrator Gold – Suzanna Celej, 2013 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards; Children’s Picture Book Gold, 2013 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
On the Spot: A Book You Don’t Just Read, You Play
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Lea Redmond
Illustrator: Sanne te Loo
Publisher: Random House
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 6
Questions, Questions
Author: Marcus Pfister
Illustrator: Marcus Pfister
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Say Zoop!
Author: Herve Tullet
Illustrator: Herve Tullet
Publisher: Handprint Books, an Imprint of Chronicle Books, LLC
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 5
Stanley’s Stick
Author: John Hegley
Illustrator: Neal Layton
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Recommended Age Range: 3 to 7
Website
A boy, his imagination, and a perfectly straight stick go on a fantastic adventure where a stick becomes, well, anything he wants it to be. From a telescope to a fishing pole; a dinosaur to a rocket, there is no end to this stick’s extraordinary shapes; that is, until he finds another one. A “fantastick” read.
The Day I Lost My Superpowers
Author: Michael Escoffier
Illustrator: Kris Di Giacomo
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
When one little girl discovers her amazing “abilities,” like flying, disappearing, breathing underwater, and walking through walls, she is mighty confident of her many superpowers (Is she even from this planet)!? Yet, when a fall brings her down to earth a little too hard, she realizes moms just might have them too. Original and charming.
The Little Book of Big What-Ifs
Author: Renata Liwska
Illustrator: Renata Liwska
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
The Whisper
Author: Pamela Zagasenski
Illustrator: Pamela Zagasenski
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
Website
What Do You Do With An Idea?
Author: Kobi Yamada
Illustrator: Mae Besom
Publisher: Compendium, Inc.
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
This is a one-of-a-kind book about that magical moment when an idea pops into our mind – how it makes us feel, what it needs, how it grows, and what it can become. A thought-provoking and very wise book.
Awards: Independent Publisher’s Gold Book Award; the Washington State Book Award; Moonbeam Children’s Book Award
What if…
Author: Samantha Berger
Illustrator: Mike Curato
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Celebrate the power of perseverance to create…no matter what. Based on the author’s real-life experience, this story is as creative as it is inspired.
Awards: Chicago Public Library’s “Best Picture Books of 2018;” Nerdie Book Club’s “Fiction Picture Book Selection;” Texas Library Association’s “2019 2×2 Reading List;” Bank Street College of Education’s “Best Children’s Books of the Year 2019;” International Literacy Association & Children’s Book Council’s “2019 Children’s Choices Reading List”
What if?
Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher: A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 7
A day at the beach creates numerous possibilities in this brilliant book that simply asks “What if?”