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What If...

What If... Open the full-size image

Contributors

By Samantha Berger

Illustrated by Michael Curato

Formats and Prices

Price

$17.99

Price

$22.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $17.99 $22.99 CAD
  2. ebook $9.99 $12.99 CAD

Also available from:

Creativity, the power of imagination, and the importance of self-expression are celebrated in this inspiring picture book written and illustrated by real-life best friends.

This girl is determined to express herself! If she can’t draw her dreams, she’ll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can’t do that, she’ll turn her world into a canvas. And if everything around her is taken away, she’ll sing, dance, and dream…

Stunning mixed media illustrations, lyrical text, and a breathtaking gatefold conjure powerful magic in this heartfelt affirmation of art, imagination, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Genre:

  • A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of 2018
    An Atlanta Parent Magazine Best Book of 2018
    A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018
    2019 International Literacy Association/Children's Book Council Children's Choices List
  • *"A testament to the power of an imaginative mind. ...This extraordinary book will make it hard for any child reader to settle for the mundaneness of reality."
    Kirkus Reviews, starred review
  • "Curato's collages, featuring ink, pencil, acrylics, and more, make beautiful backdrops that pop, contrast, and fill each spread with life. What's more, Berger's inspiring message...uplifts and demonstrates the unstoppable spirit of creativity. ...[Y]oung artists will come away connected and affirmed."
    Booklist
  • "Curato's collaged and found-object illustrations meet the creative challenges [Berger's] text all but demands with moments of giddy inventiveness."
    Publishers Weekly
  • "This inspirational read-aloud provides ample opportunity for discussion and creation from beginning to end."
    School Library Journal
  • "A true celebration of creativity and art in all its forms."
    Brightly
  • "The mixed-media illustrations fully communicate the glory of artistic passion."
    School Library Connection

On Sale
Apr 10, 2018
Page Count
40 pages
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13
9780316390965

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Samantha Berger

About the Author

Samantha Berger has written picture books including What If…, Crankenstein and A Crankenstein Valentine, Witch Spa, Snoozefest, Santa’s Reindeer Games, and Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry, which won a Parent’s Choice Award Honor. When she isn’t writing, she’s doing voice-overs, traveling the world, and helping rescue dogs. Samantha splits her time between New York City and California.

Learn more about this author

Michael Curato

About the Illustrator

Mike Curato is the author and illustrator the children’s book series Little Elliot. He has also illustrated What If… by Samantha Berger, All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle, Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian, The Power of One written by Trudy Ludwig, If I Were a Fish by Corook and Olivia Barton, and contributed to What’s Your Favorite Color? by Eric Carle and Friends, Sunny Day: A Celebration of the Sesame Street Theme Song, and Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love. Publishers Weekly named Mike a “Fall 2014 Flying Start.” In the same year he won the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Founder’s Award. Mike’s debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, was awarded the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Young Adult and the 2021 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult. Gaysians is his adult debut.

Learn more about this illustrator