By Tasha Miller

📚Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite picture books to inspire inquiry and celebrate curiosity! Come by Playscape and see a specially curate selection of books all about wonder and meet other families while we play & learn!

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Harness the power of imagination and interactivity: Press the yellow dot on the cover of this book, follow the instructions within, and embark upon a magical journey! Each page of this surprising book instructs the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and who knows what will happen next! Children and adults alike will giggle with delight as the dots multiply, change direction, and grow in size! Especially remarkable because the adventure in Press Here occurs on the flat surface of the simple, printed page, this unique picture book about the power of imagination and interactivity will provide read aloud fun for all ages!

• The perfect book for young children to learn about following directions and cause and effect
• Ideal as a fun and interactive read aloud book for families or small groups

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña

Milo is on a long subway ride with his older sister. To pass the time, he studies the faces around him and makes pictures of their lives. There’s the whiskered man with the crossword puzzle; Milo imagines him playing solitaire in a cluttered apartment full of pets. There’s the wedding-dressed woman with a little dog peeking out of her handbag; Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony. And then there’s the boy in the suit with the bright white sneakers; Milo imagines him arriving home to a castle with a drawbridge and a butler. But when the boy in the suit gets off on the same stop as Milo–walking the same path, going to the exact same place–Milo realizes that you can’t really know anyone just by looking at them. 

I Wonder by Annaka Harris

Eva takes a walk with her mother and encounters a range of mysteries: from gravity, to life cycles, to the vastness of the universe. She learns that it’s okay to say “I don’t know,” and she discovers that there are some things even adults don’t know—mysteries for everyone to wonder about together! I Wonder is a book that celebrates the feelings of awe and curiosity in children, as the foundation for all learning.

Meet the Wild by Lindsay Kellar- Madsen

Meet the Wild is a children’s picture book that introduces young children ages 0-5 to the seasons through outdoor nature play.  

Gently inspired by outdoor learning and play culture in Scandinavia, the vibrant illustrations and sensory-rich rhyming story depict nature play through the seasons. The Wild is all around us in the natural world and a friend inviting children to explore and reconnect with the outdoors.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie—stars of their own New York Times bestselling picture books Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer—Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking her way through problems and continuing to stay curious.

The Girl with the Big, Big Questions by Britney Winn Lee

“Why can’t people live on the moon?”

“Can I be president when I grow up?”

“What makes a person good?”

These are just some of the questions that bubble forth from one little girl with twinkling eyes and a curious mind. When the girl finds that her big questions make some people uncomfortable, she stops. But then she learns that her questions can solve problems and that asking questions is how we learn and grow.

Celebrate the spirit of curiosity and the joy of learning with this lively picture book about a persistent girl and her quest for knowledge.

Beyond the Pond by Joseph Kuefler

A stunning picture book about the power of imagination, perfect for fans of Extra Yarn and Journey, from debut author-illustrator Joseph Kuefler.

Just behind an ordinary house
filled with too little fun,
Ernest D. decides that today will be the day he explores the depths of his pond.

Beyond the pond, he discovers a not-so-ordinary world that will change him forever.

Be a Maker by Katey Howes

How many things can you make in a day? A tower, a friend, a change?

Rhyme, repetition, and a few seemingly straightforward questions engage young readers in a discussion about the many things we make―and the ways we can make a difference in the world. This simple, layered story celebrates creativity through beautiful rhyming verse and vibrant illustrations with a timely message.