Grades: Pre-3
Theme: Imagination comes from within. Inspiration comes from around you.

Another fascinating story and illustrations by Allen Say! The little girl in this story is an interesting character who makes me wonder what's going on in her mind. Is this just "the mind of an artist," or is something else at work too? ( )

In "Emma's Rug," Allen Say examines the realm of inspiration with the tale of Emma and her incredible artistic ability. Spending hours staring at a rug that was given to her when just a newborn, Emma would create award winning paintings with ease. All that changes when her mother decides to wash her rug, seemingly erasing the inspirational magic from her life. While slightly different than some of his other stories, Say still manages to captivate readers with his art style, and grants insight into the wonder that children find all around them. ( )

This book is about a child finding her creativity. Great to use in all grades to help them see they all have creativity.