What If... - Hardcover

Berger, Samantha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316390968 ISBN 13: 9780316390965

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018

Synopsis

"Samantha Berger thougtful text and Mike Curato's stunning mixed media illustrations capture a child's imagination and encourage creativity." - Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends.

This girl is determined to express herself! If she can't draw her dreams, she'll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can't do that, she'll turn her world into a canvas. And if everything around her is taken away, she'll sing, dance, and dream...

Stunning mixed media illustrations, lyrical text, and a breathtaking gatefold conjure powerful magic in this heartfelt affirmation of art, imagination, and the resilience of the human spirit.

About this title

About the Author

Samantha Berger has written numerous picture books including Crankenstein, A Crankenstein Valentine, Witch Spa, Snoozefest, and Martha Doesn't Say Sorry, which won a Parent's Choice Award Honor. When she isn't writing, she's doing voice-overs, traveling the world, and helping rescue dogs. Samantha splits her time between New York City and California, and she invites you to visit her online at samanthaberger.com.

Mike Curato is the author and illustrator of the beloved polka-dotted elephant, Little Elliot, who appears in his books Little Elliot, Big City; Little Elliot, Big Family; Little Elliot, Big Fun; and Little Elliot, Fall Friends. He is also the illustrator of Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian and All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle. Mike lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, and he invites you to visit him online at mikecurato.com.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2—In a first-person narrative, a young African American girl declares that nothing can keep her from creating. ("What if that pencil one day disappeared? I'd fold up the paper till stories appeared.") As she continues to imagine her the disappearance of her supplies, she invents new ways to create, by chiseling wood, drawing in the dirt, and using leaves, snow, and sand as her media. As more and more resources are withdrawn, the child makes shadows, tells stories, and dances. Until "If I had nothing, but still had my mind; there would always be stories to seek and to find." The story's origins are events from the author's own life. Berger shares in the notes that she wondered how she would be able to create when she was forced out of her home by a flood. She improvised, and in doing so realized that those who are "compelled to create...will always find a way." Curato was inspired by Berger, and reflects that in digital collages of household and found objects offset with charming pen-and-ink drawings of the young protagonist. The story is sandwiched between two exterior depictions of the narrator's apartment building. At the start of the book, she can be seen through a window, working at her desk. At the end of the book, the windows illuminate all the creators nearby; a man playing violin, a woman decorating a cake, and singers, dancers, painters, and needle workers. VERDICT This inspirational read-aloud provides ample opportunity for discussion and creation from beginning to end. A necessary addition for most collections.—Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0316390968
• ISBN 13: 9780316390965
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Curato Michael