October is a month of imagination and pretending!
Everyone I know does their best work in October. Crafts, costumes, sweets—all of it comes together for a wonderful month of Halloween-themed fun. They sew up beautiful princess costumes for fabulous tea parties, make spooky ghosts out of recycled things and redecorate their homes to be spooky and scary.
Children’s imaginations are the greatest thing. Imagination develops skills like problem solving and design. The world’s future is built solely on what we believe we can achieve through our creative ability.
I witnessed a great example of imagination a few months ago. A boy was carrying a magnetic puzzle around the library like a puppy. The boy would cradle the puzzle, he would talk to it and he would use the little magnetic pen attached to it to drag it behind him like a dog. Puzzle Pupper was a great new friend one day and then back to being a puzzle the next. Anything can be an adventure if you make it one!
To celebrate the power of pretend, I figured I’d pull some fun books on imagination, world-building and creativity and make a list.
Enjoy, the Power of Pretend!
“In My Room” by Jo Witek
A little girl is alone in her room with paper, crayons, chalk and her imagination. She takes herself on a variety of journeys of her own construction. She becomes an explorer, a princess, a veterinarian…a whole bunch of things are possible through her imagination!
“Planet Kindergarten” by Sue Ganz-Schmitt
A young child compares the first day of Kindergarten to visiting space. One little comparison 
leads to a very imaginative first day of school.
“Bedtime for Batman” by Michael Dahl
A young boy imagines his nighttime routine as the life of Batman. On one side is his life, the other is what he imagines.
“What’s Next Door?” by Nicola O’Byrne
Carter the crocodile needs help getting home. The only way to do it is to use your imagination to get him closer and closer to home.
“Ta-da!” by Kathy Ellen Davis
A girl and a boy are telling stories. The girl wants everything to have a happily ever after and uses her magic to create happy endings. The boy, however, wants drama and action before a resolution. It becomes a battle of happy endings and dramatic escapes until they can reconcile their stories.
“Fly Blanky Fly!” by Anne Margaret Lewis
Sam loves to use his blanky to go on adventures. His blanket becomes all sorts of things, from a rocket ship to a kangaroo.
