Imagine [Hardcover]

Norman Messenger (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Inspiring, intriguing, endlessly entertaining — Norman Messenger's interactive book allows us to step out of our everyday lives, shed our preconceptions, and experience a little magic.


IMAGINE . . . a ladder without steps, a clock without hands, a racket without strings, a kiss without a mouth. Imagine a world where the hills have faces and wherever you went, you'd have someone to talk to. Imagine flipping a series of flaps to form fantastical creatures or turning a wheel to fit the top of one face on the bottom of another. Imagine that Norman Messenger's quirky, humorous suggestions, ingenious visual puzzles, and beautifully crafted illustrations will open your eyes and mind and reveal that — with a little imagination — the world can become a different and mysterious place, where anything is possible.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. This book's title reads like a command: Leave reality behind and enjoy these pages of optical wonderments. Children will need to bring their own stories to Messenger's spectacles--minutely detailed, colored-pencil-and-watercolor images of fantastical landscapes, faces, and animals. The brief text suggests ways to interact with the images, such as visualizing a slightly altered familiar world (a teapot without a spout) or the completely fantastical: "Imagine a land where giants can be found," read the words below a lush, medieval landscape in which giants' faces are hidden among castles and hills. Cleverly constructed gatefolds, wheels, and flaps allow children to create gloriously unexpected animals and humans by matching up bodies and heads, and small, inset visual puzzles offer more interactive fun. The number of movable, tearable paper parts will make this a challenge for library circulation, but teachers and children alike will delight in the beautiful, accomplished images and the open invitation to drift between rules of logic and the exhilarating freedom of make-believe. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

NORMAN MESSENGER began his career as an advertising art director in London before turning to freelance illustration. He is a highly regarded illustrator and was a founding member of the Association of Illustrators in Great Britain. His books for children include ANNABEL'S HOUSE , winner of the Redbook Award; MAKING FACES; and THE CREATION STORY. Born and raised in Liverpool, he now lives with his artist wife in Gloucestershire, England, and has two artist sons. IMAGINE is his first book with Candlewick Press.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763627577
• ISBN-13: 978-0763627577
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 0.6 x 12.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Fun Book!, June 30, 2006

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Imagine (Hardcover)

"Imagine," is one of the most outstanding children's books I have had the privilege to review this year.
Inside the covers of this book, children will be able to interact as they imagine many different scenario's, for example; what different animals would look like with other animal heads or bottoms, and they will giggle up a storm as they give it a try.That is just the beginning of the fun as this read explodes into countless imagining for your child.
The illustrations are priceless and add flare to a book that is already top of the notch.
Parents, do not miss this one. Your children will be absolutely delighted with this book and it will give them hours of entertainment as their imagination soars. I give it my highest recommendation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriging, March 28, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Imagine (Hardcover)

I am 13 and I found this book utterly intriging. With such fine detail Messenger shows us how to look at the world in different ways. I learn something new from this book everytime I look at it.
It would suit any age group, from 3 - 100.
I loved it and I'm sure that anyone else would think the same.
10/10

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book blew my mind!, January 14, 2007

By 

K. Lanningham (Fort Worth, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imagine (Hardcover)

This book is filled with stimulating, intriguing artwork. Children of all ages will enjoy it. It is not a typical storybook. Instead, this is a buffet of thought provoking illustrations. You can explore the pages from different positions and see new things. Your mind will enjoy all of the possibilities presented as well as the puzzles in the corner of some pages. The artwork is beautifully detailed quickening your imagination to new perspectives.