“I like the way you open. I can turn your pages by myself. I like the way you close. I can put you on my shelf.” The gift of a book inspires the imagination of a small, brown-skinned child. This story underscores both the endless possibilities inherent in creative thought and the sense of accomplishment so important to young children. From the moment the child unwraps the book, it becomes the focus of imaginative play. The child “reads” the book to the cat, wears it like a hat, even takes it on a wagon ride to a “secret place.” Finally, the child, who could be a boy or a girl, finds the lap of a grown up and experiences the book in a more traditional way . . . before taking it to bed. The celebratory, rhyming text is set against the warm, vibrant palette of the acrylic illustrations. This book’s thick, durable pages ensure that it won’t fall apart if children mimic the actions of the child in the story or come up with their own ideas for what to do with a book. (Ages 18 months–3 years)

I like the way you open.
I can turn your pages by myself.
I like the way you close.
I can put you on my shelf.

Books can be for silly times or quiet, for reading alone or sharing . . . but always to enjoy. A small child discovers their magic for the very first time in this exuberant ode to book appreciation by award-winning poet Kristine O’Connell George. Brightly colored illustrations are a perfect match for the spare, rhyming text, and thick pages with rounded corners make this a special first "real” book for baby.