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Parents' Guide to

Imagine!

By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Wordless book celebrates art with magical trip to museum.

Book Raúl Colón Picture Book 2018
Imagine! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

cakimm
cakimm Parent
January 3, 2019
age 2+

Wonderful story that makes art dance

This is a wordless picture book with beautiful art both in how it is illustrated and as subject matter. My 3 year old enjoy the images and scenes of Brooklyn and Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art. I enjoy a male character of color kids can relate to who also appreciates art. This is a winner of a book, gently sending positive messages.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In IMAGINE!, a boy sets off on his skateboard and crosses the Brooklyn Bridge to go to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. There, he looks at three iconic paintings: Henri Rousseau's The Sleeping Gypsy, Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians, and Henri Matisse's Icarus. The figures in the artwork step out, and the boy leads them on a joyous romp through New York City -- through Times Square, riding the subway and Coney Island's Cyclone roller coaster, and up to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, culminating in a songfest in Central Park. When they return to the museum, the figures step back into their paintings, and the boy rides his skateboard back to Brooklyn, where he puts his own chalk to use on a building wall, making a mural directly inspired by the figures in the paintings.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Joy jumps off the pages of this book, just as the characters pictured in the museum magically leap out of their iconic paintings. Imagine! effectively makes the case that museums need not be viewed as stodgy, out-of-reach places. In the author's note, author-illustrator Raúl Colón reveals that he himself didn't get to an art museum until he was an adult, so he's happy to swing open the museum door, inviting kids in.

Though the book is wordless, it has a well-crafted, engaging storyline. And the art's double the fun. Colón manages to recognizably depict the three actual paintings, while altering the figures just enough so they can dance and cavort through the streets of New York. The boy's a great role model. He looks so frothily happy, it's clear he's found his artistic home. And that box of colored chalk visible throughout in his back pocket? He puts it to very satisfying creative use at the end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the paintings in Imagine! Do you know who the artists are? What does Raúl Colón say about them at the end? Why do you think he wanted to picture the characters stepping out of the paintings and having fun in the city?

  • Have you ever been to an art museum? Do you remember any paintings you saw? What did you like about them?

  • Why do you think the boy used his chalk at the end to draw a mural? How was he inspired by the paintings at the museum?

Book Details

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