Where the Wild Things Are meets Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in this emotionally satisfying picture book tailor-made for reading aloud, which celebrates creativity and the power of imagination. In a spare, lyrical text, young listeners and readers will follow a little boy through his day, from early morning till bedtime, and watch as what fills his active imagination becomes real. Toys grow to life-size: a tin monkey plays a real drum and fiddle--rat-a-tat, toot!--a stuffed lion roars--rumble, grumble--and a dump truck empties its load--BANG! But when quiet time comes, and a hush settles over his bedroom, animals nap, and the boy becomes absorbed in other activities, like reading and drawing. Here is an irresistible read-aloud by a picture-book master that captures all the joy of a child's play, and renders a boy's imagination real. Praise for And If the Moon Could Talk by Kate Banks: "With quiet phrases and luxurious color, Banks . . . evoke(s) a perfectly peaceful bedtime." --Publishers Weekly Praise for City Cat by Kate Banks: "If you have to pack a suitcase, . . . make room in it for this book." --The New York Times

Author Biography

Kate Banks is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including The Night Worker, a Charlotte Zolotow Award winner, and And If the Moon Could Talk, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for picture books. Some of her best-loved titles include Max's Words, illustrated by Boris Kulikov, called "imaginative" in a starred review from School Library Journal; The Bear in the Book, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben, called "enchanting" by the Wall Street Journal; City Cat, illustrated by Lauren Castillo; and many more. You can follow Kate Banks on Twitter at @KateBanksBooks or visit her at katebanksbooks.com. Simone Shin is the illustrator of, most recently, Mama Loves You So by Terry Pierce, Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka (a Junior Library Guild selection), and Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump! by K.L. Going, as well as The Red Bicycle by Jude Isabella. She is the recipient of a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators, and her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Real Simple, Wired, and other publications. You can follow Simone Shin on Twitter at @simoneshin and visit her at simoneshin.com.