What is a Book?

A lyrical, thoughtful book using gentle metaphors to show children and adults how books offer comfort, spark imagination and open doors to new worlds, reminding us why stories matter so deeply.

The book that will transform kids' feeling for books.

Emily Dickinson likened a book to a "frugal frigate" that could sail away with you to the unknown lands of imagination.

Albert Einstein's opinion was that "imagination is more important than knowledge."

"A book is a little thing.
It seems like just a bunch of paper. It has a cover, a title, words.
Sometimes drawing, too"

What Is a Book is about the world of imagination that goes far beyond the pieces of paper with words.

A book is a house.
It's like a roof over your head,
A cozy place to stay.

A corner to hide away
Where you feel protected and safe.

A book is a door.
You open it and find yourself in a different world.

Will you meet someone?
What will happen?

As we see that a book can be an airplane, a blanket, a mirror, a window. we see that each of these metaphors is about moving from our known self to a place that is wonderfully stimulating and comforting too.

A book is a window.
There's someone not at all like you out there,
Someone really different

Maybe that's why you're curious and want to know more about her.

A book is a brick, a swing and a sandwich. When you find out why, you'll know why all of us treasure what a book can do for us, where a book can take us, what a book can teach us.

This is both an important book for children and a reminder to adults of why we have loved and honored books, and why they are so important.