This Is a Story: (A Celebration of Books, Imagination, and the Library Experience for Kids Ages 4-8)

Children’s literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book—in a story that’s more relevant than ever.

This is a word on a page.
This is a page in a book.
This is a book on a shelf . . . waiting.

With a sea-horse kite in hand, a child heads out with Dad to the library. On the way they stop at a park, joining lots of people, some of whom are flying kites, too. At the library, a person toting a big pile of books hands over a story on a favorite subject: the sea horse. All around, there are readers poring over books, each with their own questions, ideas to explore, hopes for the future, and imaginations ready to spark. With a warm, lyrical text and tenderly expressive illustrations, John Schu and Lauren Castillo invite us to imagine the myriad ways that books can foster connection and understanding—and how they can empower children, through their own passions, to transform the world.

John Schu is the author of This Is a School, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. He is also a children’s librarian at Bookelicious and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University. He was previously the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs and has worked as a classroom teacher and school librarian. He travels all over the world visiting schools and meeting with students, teachers, and administrators as he advocates for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, schools, and the libraries—and librarians—that connect them. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois. You can find his popular blog, Watch. Connect. Read., at www.JohnSchu.com and follow him @MrSchuReads.

Lauren Castillo is the award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She is the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Nana in the City. Lauren Castillo dreams and draws in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. You can find her online at www.laurencastillo.com and on social media @studiocastillo.