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Picture Books to Inspire Your Child to Imagine Their Own Story

May 12, 2020

We've kicked off Summer Challenge early! This year's theme is Imagine Your Story. Here are some picture books to inspire you to imagine your own story!

As you may know,  we've kicked off Summer Challenge early this year! We certainly hope that you're reading and keeping track of your points. The theme for this year is Imagine Your Story. Children always have new story to tell, even if it's bit disjointed sometimes.

Books, of course, are a great way to inspire your child to imagine their own story, to see themselves in new ways and to learn from the stories of people different from them. Here are just a few suggestions, all available for download while the library is closed!

 

 
A creative and enterprising young girl details all the ways she creates the "many stories that come from her heart." Pencil, paper, origami, sculpting, her own voice; nothing will stop her  imaging her own story. What kinds of different materials can your children use when completing art projects? Colored paper and magazines for collages, modeling clay for sculpting, colored pencils for drawing: there are so many ways to create art!
 
 
I've written about this wonderful book before, and it deserves to be included in this round-up. Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela may have a very long name with rich histories behind it, but as her father tells her, it is up to her to write her own story. What are the stories behind your children's names? More importantly, how will  you encourage them to live into who they are meant to be? Books can show us previously unimagined ways to be in the world.
 
 
In this marvelously illustrated and mostly wordless book, a young boy visits his grandfather, but they don't speak the same language. How will they communicate? Discovering a shared love of drawing, however, begins a wonderful story between grandfather and grandchild. There are many ways to share stories with your child: you can take turns drawing elements of a larger picture, or you can each write a sentence of a story (if your child is still learning how to write, you can take dictation). There is no limit to how you can imagine your story!
Klem-Mari Cajigas

Klem-Mari

In a former life, Klem-Marí was a Religious Studies scholar. She much prefers being the Family Literacy Coordinator for Bringing Books to Life! She wants you to read and share books with the children in your life, and for those children to see you to read as well. Originally from Puerto Rico, Klem-Marí also enjoys her cat, baking, yoga, and the works of Octavia Butler.