This Is a Story
Age 3+
Picture Storybooks
Children’s literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book – in a story that’s relevant now more than ever.
This is a word on a page.
This is a page in a book.
This is a book on a shelf ... waiting.
With a seahorse kite in hand, a child heads out with Dad to the library. On the way they stop at a park, joining lots of people, some of whom are flying kites, too. At the library, a person toting a big pile of books hands over a story on a favourite subject: the seahorse. All around, there are readers poring over books, each with their own questions, ideas to explore, hopes for the future, and imaginations ready to spark.
With a warm, lyrical text and tenderly expressive illustrations, John Schu and Lauren Castillo invite us to imagine the myriad of ways that books can foster connection and understanding – and how they can empower children through their own passions to transform the world.
Creators
John Schu is the author of the picture book This Is a School, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison. He has been the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and a classroom teacher and school librarian. He travels all over the world visiting schools and meeting with students, teachers, and administrators as he advocates for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, schools, and the libraries - and librarians - that connect them. You can find him and his popular blog, Watch. Connect. Read., at JohnSchu.com and on Instagram and Twitter as @MrSchuReads.
Lauren Castillo is the award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Nana in the City. Lauren Castillo dreams and draws in Pennsylvania, USA. You can find her online at laurencastillo.com and on Instagram and Twitter as @studiocastillo.
Reviews
It’s a lovely pictorial ‘walk’ showing how stories can open our minds to the wonder of the world.
My Weekly
This fabulously illustrated and beautifully designed paean of praise to the power of stories and books is a lyrical delight from beginning to end.
The Letterpress Project
