What If. . .

What if I had a unicorn for a pet? What if there were sea horses in the bath tub? What if I had a kangroo as a pet? What if trees were the size of flowers and I could pick them for mom? What if snow tasted like peppermint ice cream? These are a few of the "what ifs" a little boy thinks of while trying to put off going to sleep each night. What a wonderful was to get a child's imagination going at just the right time...bed time, when his or her mind has the time and the quiet to ponder questions such as these and those that the child can think of themselves? This book, the one I am reviewing, has some special glow in the dark pages that make it seem even a bit more magical. The grand children love this one. The only problem I have with it, is that sometimes they start on their own list of what ifs and keep going on and on and on. This is actually fun and it is a rather wonderful thing to hear some of the thoughts that come out of their heads. the art work in this one is great and goes along with the text perfectly. Recommend this one highly. It needs to be in your stack of bed time books!

I bought this book for my 2 1/2 and 6 year old granddaughters for their visit on Thanksgiving. They loved the book everyone in the household had to read the book to them at least once in the three days they were visiting. The story is adorable and the pictures are beautiful. In reading the book it is apparent that the author is a mom who knows how children think.

Dreams make the world go round. Whether they're daydreams, or dreams that you have when you sleep. A little boy decides that he wants to delay going to bed, so he uses his wonderful imagination to dream up many different dream scenarios to tell his Mother about, before succumbing to the inevitable, and falling asleep and entering his very own dream. I adore bedtime stories. I have since I was very young, and WHAT IF... is one of the best that I have ever seen. The prose is delightful, and will quickly lull your child to sleep when bedtime comes, while the illustrations are utterly magnificent, and will have your child in awe. If you are going to buy one bedtime story to last a lifetime, this should be it. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

What if "dogs really did grow on dogwood trees," and "flowers tasted like lollipops," and "butterflies could sing?" Those are but a few of the questions the main character asks his mom in order to delay his bedtime just a little longer. In one scene we find him picking a bouquet of trees that have shrunk to the size of flowers. In another he is standing, face upturned, as it snows silver and gold snowflakes. With each turn of the page we see another of his wide-eyed wonderings brought to life with lively, enchanting watercolor and colored pencil illustrations.The story ends as our imaginative little visionary snuggles in his bed while mom turns off the bedroom light and tells him to turn on his dream light. The last page includes a glow-in-the dark illustration that encourages readers to turn on their dream lights.Although meant as a bedtime book, this would work equally as well in the classroom. It could be used to enhance a lesson on imagination, questioning, or creative thinking. Teachers could use it to introduce "What if . . . " brainstorming techniques or "What if . . . " writing activities. A delightful little gem of a book

***** Grab your child's favorite snugly blanket, rev up your imagination, and get ready for a bedtime story where anything is possible and nothing at all is unusual! This colorful book allows us to enter the creative mind of a little boy who tries to delay his bedtime each night by playing a special game called: What If? Silver and gold snowflakes that sparkle like diamonds and taste like peppermint ice cream...What If? What about dogwood trees? Ever wish you could really pick a puppy from the branches of a dogwood tree? What If focuses on the creative imaginations of a child, and after reading this book you will never again look at many common things in the same old way. Clouds, butterflies, teddy bears, flowers, trees, snowflakes, stars and many other things take on special characteristics and a life of their own...through a child's eyes. The pages of vivid illustrations are done with a combination of watercolor and colored pencil, and are simply enchanting...making your little one breathe a sigh of, "Ohhhhhhh!" as you turn each page.I highly recommend this book for children and adults of all ages who love to look at things in a different way and say, "What If...?" ***** Reviewed by Ruth Wilson.