In a world full of screens, it is more important than ever to encourage creativity, imagination, and play! The following books are bursting with all of the above!
By Corey R. Tabor
New York : Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2026. Picture book.
An enthusiastic student gives an increasingly chaotic and elaborate report on what he would do if he were a bear for a day. Their imaginative descriptions of a surprisingly humanlike day (riding motorcycles, hot air balloon rescues, etc.!) gets push back from the rest of the class until finally their creative storytelling gets everyone on board and begging for more!
Rita, a very bored little girl, imagines an island for all the bored people in the world to hang out in. As Rita lets her imagination grow, Bored Island becomes more and more fantastical. The power of sitting in boredom!
By Isabel Greenberg
New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture book.
When Sid's adult tells him it's time to get ready to go to the park, Sid performs each requirement in the most imaginative (and time consuming!) way possible! Will they ever get out the door, or will the creative journey be more fun than the destination?
By Brittany Cicchese
Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press, 2026. Picture book.
When a young boy visits Grandma's house, he sees tiny worlds everywhere! Popsicle sticks become bridges, pie tins are playgrounds, and all around is tiny life waiting to inhabit the boy's tiny towns. Grandma can't seem to see the tiny worlds the boy sees until one day by the ocean, Grandma finally starts to understand how the boy sees and appreciates. Together, the boy and his grandma explore the tiny worlds together.
By Emily Winfield Martin
New York : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026. Picture book.
Eleanor is a wild girl. She loves being noisy! She loves being free and untamed! Eleanor becomes wild animals galore—a growling bear, a howling wolf, a flying butterfly. Eleanor finally heads to bed, worn out from her day of energetic living, but ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Comments