Imagination Celebration #pb10for10 2016

I am participating in the Picture Book 10 for 10 event hosted by Mandy Robek and my new #NerdCampMI friend Cathy Mere.  This exciting event takes place on August 10th every year.  Bloggers are welcome to post a list of picture books around a theme using the hashtag #pb10for10 on Twitter. (Added benefit: it is a great way to find new book-loving people to follow on Twitter). There is also a Google Community you can join. I LOVE poring over these lists and adding titles to my Goodreads account, so I wanted to throw my hat in the ring for the first time.  Many thanks to a couple  of K-3 librarian friends who suggested titles.

I have spent the summer with my four year old son and it has been an amazing window into an innocent, joyful, imaginative mind.  It got me thinking: over time life gets in the way and we lose some of that innocence, some of that joy, and some of our imagination. This list is my attempt to point out the power of the imagination to our students.  Let’s celebrate those imaginative minds!

My Pen by Christopher Myers (2015)

The black and white drawings detail all the possibilities when you put your pen to paper and use your imagination to let your ideas come to life.

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis (2006)

Remember that feeling when you were little and you could turn a box into anything you imagined?  This rabbit shows readers how there are no limits to what that box can be when you use your imagination.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran (2004)

That hill of cactus, rocks and sand and old boxes strewn about may not look like much to a passerby.  However, to the children who play here it is Roxaboxen, a town of homes and streets and ice cream shops.

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (2003)

This little kitten lives in an imaginative world where he is the fearless El Skippito, a sword-fighting Chihuahua.  He shows readers that even when he gets sent to his room for punishment, his imagination keeps him entertained.

The Stick by Clay Rice (2014)

A little boy looks on day after day as others play with toys.  He has no toys of his own. However, everything changes when he finds a stick on the ground with inspiring words carved into it.  Suddenly that stick can be anything his mind can dream up.

This is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter (2016)

A little girl makes a dollhouse out of cardboard and walks the readers through all the delightful parts she’s included.  She then visits a friend who has a store-bought dollhouse. When the friend visits her, she hides her cardboard dollhouse thinking the friend won’t like it.  Eventually the friend discovers the cardboard dollhouse and realizes how much more fun it is to use your imagination.

This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary (2015)

Sadie uses her wonderful imagination to have incredible adventures.  She likes to make up stories and discover all of life’s possibilities.

What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada (2014)

When you have an idea and your confidence grows, so does your idea.  This is what happens when this child has an idea to bring into the world. Inspiring for all ages.

We Forgot Brock! By Carter Goodrich (2015)

A little boy named Phillip has an imaginary best friend named Brock.  One night a sleepy Phillip accidentally leaves Brock behind at the fair. Will the friends find one another?

What Can I Be? By Ann Rand (2016)

This book takes circles, triangles, squares, lines and colors and asks readers, “What can I be?”  It offers some examples and encourages readers to imagine and discover for themselves.