What Inspires

by Alison Hughes, Ellen Rooney (Illustrator)

Overview

Three friends go to the park, where it seems like nothing is happening—but something is.

The wind is stirring the trees and sending maple keys spiralling down through the air, inspiring the children to whirl and spin...which makes a baby laugh and clap, and a man tap a rhythm with his cane. Soon, the kids and those around them are part of a domino effect of creativity from painting and building castle forts to having daring adventures and sailing the imaginary seas, and finally staging a colorful parade and watching stories unfurl in the clouds.

The kids follow this path of creativity, until finally it's nighttime and they think nothing more could possibly happen. But something does: their minds continue to create fantastical possibilities in their dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459837706
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alison Hughes is an award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, including The Silence Slips In, winner of the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature, and Hit the Ground Running, a nominee for the Governor General's Literary Award. Alison is a university writing advisor, volunteers with children and literacy groups and gives frequent workshops and presentations at schools, libraries, festivals and conferences across Canada. She lives in Edmonton with her family.

Ellen Rooney is an award-winning designer, artist and children’s book illustrator. Her textural mixed media artwork combines many traditional art techniques, like pencil drawing, painting, printmaking and collage, often combined with digital techniques. She was the winner of the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize for Grandmother School. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

Alison Hughes is an award-winning author of many books for children and young adults, including The Silence Slips In, winner of the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature, and Hit the Ground Running, nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award. Alison is a university writing adviser who also volunteers with children and literacy groups and gives frequent workshops and presentations at schools, libraries, festivals and conferences across Canada. She lives in Edmonton with her family.

Ellen Rooney is an award-winning designer, artist and children’s book illustrator. Her textural mixed-media artwork features traditional art techniques like pencil drawing, painting, printmaking and collage, often combined with digital techniques. She was the winner of the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize for Grandmother School. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

09/23/2024

An ordinary park outing transforms into an afternoon of creativity for the children who star in this joyous tribute to imagination-fueled play. Though it seems at first that “nothing” is going on, three friends soon take note of the way “the wind was rustling the leaves of the trees,/ sending seeds spiraling into the air.” The effect proves enlivening, and their enthusiasm soon spreads to other park-goers. Rhythmic lines trace a snowballing series of creative events until “a thrilling adventure unfolded over land and sea,/ with magical creatures,// a daring battle,/ a dramatic chase.” Even after the group heads home, their inspiration results in new possibilities via bedtime dreams. Hughes’s spare lyricism proves a ready partner for Rooney’s mixed-media artwork. Figures rendered in pencil, cut paper, and digital techniques have a free-spirited energy that stands out against pale chromatic landscapes. The result is a friendly communal examination of making’s magic. Ages 6–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Hughes’ lively, poetic lines are nicely enhanced by Rooney’s luminous mixed-media illustrations, which lend a whimsical, fanciful sense of enchantment to the scenes with colorful swirls of imagery and details dancing across the pages. With its inviting, playful presentation, this is a charming ode to imagination and wonder and a celebration of the way nature can connect and delight.”

Booklist

2024-08-03
Just when you think nothing’s happening.

Three friends—all dark-haired, one presenting Black and using a wheelchair, one tan-skinned, one pale-skinned—visit the park one morning. Nothing’s going on. The wind rustles leaves, sending seedpods dancing. This inspires the kids to twirl. Others, inspired by the friends, also dance spontaneously. A delighted baby claps and sings; her mother joins in accompaniment. A neighbor taps a cane. The friends and other children draw instruments out of chalk on the pavement and then pretend to play them. Inspiration’s everywhere, with no signs of stopping! The kids construct a castle out of a tree and wave to a “passing ship”—children in a nearby jungle gym. A battle, chase, and parade ensue. Pausing to rest, the children look up to witness the “shifting stories” in the clouds. With the sun setting, the friends hurriedly head home, where more inspiration awaits. Marvelous ideas soon take flight in their dreams. This is an uplifting, beautifully written story about possibilities and letting creative ideas play out freely. It demonstrates that inspiration is everywhere, even in small things and moments; we need only look for it to unlock our own creative potential. The colorful, dynamic illustrations were created with pencil, textured and found papers, and digital drawing tools. Background characters are diverse.

An inspired story about letting the creative spirit freely move you.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews