Flora's Tree House

PreS-Gr 1—Flora spends her time drawing her big brother, Will, whenever he plays and goes on imaginary adventures. One day, Will discovers her artwork in her tree house and is amazed by her talent and all the pictures she has drawn, imagining him fighting aliens, riding rockets, and facing off against dragons. He then sees some of her imaginary adventures, such as exploring undersea in a submarine, and that she has joined him on some of his, like fighting man-eating plants in Peru or escaping from mummies guarding a pharaoh's tomb. After bonding over the drawings, the brother and sister decide to play together, imagining the tree house becoming a ship and the two fighting pirates together. The book emphasizes the importance of imagination and play and shows how the two siblings, although a bit at odds at the beginning of the story, actually have a lot in common and more fun playing together. Flora's drawings, pictured in the illustrations, feel childlike and authentic, and the expansive depictions of their imaginary adventures, with several featured on two-page spreads, are engaging and exciting. The sibling dynamic between Flora and Will is believable and young readers with brothers and sisters will be able to relate—and learn from—Flora and Will's relationship.