If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 4-8). At the end of a birthday party, two kids make plans from underneath a table. The more outgoing one decides they’ll be dogs, and a series of imaginative escapades follows, with the bigger dog taking the lead. Whether it’s doing tricks, digging holes, or racing to the dog park, the bigger dog is completely happy, while the little one looks a bit less certain. Finally, the little dog speaks up: “Being a dog is YOUR idea! Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” If readers have been paying close attention, they won’t be surprised by what that idea is, and the two animals play happily together in the final pages.
In this follow up to If I Was a Horse, Sophie Blackall celebrates the power of imaginary play and the importance of speaking up to make your own ideas heard. It’s not much of a story, but the illustrations are adorable, and the message for younger siblings or quieter friends is a valuable one.
Cat Nap by Brian Lies (Greenwillow Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). When a cat’s nap is disturbed by a mouse, he follows it through a poster advertising an exhibit of Egyptian antiquities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When he leaps through the poster, he’s in the panel from an ancient Egyptian tomb. The mouse leads him from one work of art to the next, including portraits, statues, and an illuminated manuscript. The lure of dinnertime leads him back where he started, and the Egyptians open a door that takes him back home, where he enjoys some food in a dish decorated with hieroglyphics. Includes an author’s note about the joys of creating art, with ten photos showing his process in making this book; also the artworks referenced in the book, with thumbnail descriptions of each.
Put this at the top of your list of Caldecott contenders. Each illustration is a marvel, based on a real work of art, and is made even more so by reading Brian Lies’ description of his painstaking recreations of each one. I loved how he celebrates making art with your own hands, as opposed to digitally or with artificial intelligence.