We are relying one our imaginations more and more these days as the weather starts to turn from summer to autumn around Chicago. We found inspiration from these books which helped us to look at things we see every day in a different way. We hope they inspire some imaginative play for you all, too.
The Fan Brothers’ The Night Gardener tells the story of William, a kid who lives on Grimloch Lane, where nothing extraordinary happens. One morning when the town awakens, one of the trees has been trimmed into a very unique shape. As the days go on, more and more curious shapes emerge, and one night William uncovers the secret. He and the town learn to look at ordinary things in unique ways. My kids love to see the creative shapes and to imagine how we might find shapes in ordinary items (bushes and trees and clouds and blankets and paint blobs and so much more!).
Olive Wong and Anna Rich create a stunning world, as seen by the main character’s window in From My Window one snowy day. The kid sees neighbors doing all kinds of snow day activities as they get dressed to brave the cold and go out themselves. While we aren’t ready for winter here, we like to look at the different things we can see in the snow, in the people, and in the kid’s home.
Otávio Júnior and Vanina Starkoff’s From my Window is a vibrant and detailed story in which a kid describes what they see outside their window in Rio de Janiero. The lush green plant life is mixed gorgeously with the buildings, murals, and people of the city. We love to imagine what it would be like to visit and compare these views to what we can see outside our own windows.
Boxitechts by Kim Smith is about friendship and working together as much as it is about using ordinary objects to create something extraordinary. In it, Meg, who makes amazing structures from cardboard boxes, must learn to work with Simone, another Boxitecht, to compete in the Maker School competition. We have been inspired to make forts and castles (directions at the end of the book!) from boxes and to think of new ways to use the items we see all the time!
We certainly snuck in as many books about windows as we could into this stack! Windows help kids think about how things look and how they might be getting a small glimpse at something bigger, as the kid in Windows by Julia Denos and E.B. Goodale sees on their walks through their neighborhood. They peek into the homes- all kinds- and notice tiny bits of the lives of their neighbors, considering how each home holds different people and experiences before finally returning home. We love this because it reminds us of our neighborhood, where we celebrate the differences between the homes and the people that make our community.