Shadow

Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
When I was growing up, I was constantly finding new ways to play pretend. I was always imagining that I could travel to a new place, and that I had some sort of magical ability. In Suzy Lee’s beautiful new wordless book, Shadow, we meet a girl with a delightfully vivid imagination. Playing in her attic, where the light makes lots of shadows on the wall, the girl’s imagination creates an entirely new world. The left side pages show the attic in its original form, while the right side pages show how the girl’s imagination changes her surroundings. Eventually, the magic of her imagination invades the real world in the form of a darker creature. But taking charge of her own make-believe, the little girl is able to conquer her fears, and play with the creature, who turns out to be a friend. The ending is reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are, when the call of “Dinner!” brings the make-believe to an end. This is a great book to look at with your child and talk about what you see. You can pick out the animals the girl imagines, and identify what real objects create the shadows. You can also discuss what imagination is, and why make-believe can’t hurt anyone. See this book listed in our catalog