Written by Alison Hughes
Illustrated by Ellen Rooney
Orca Book Publishers
978-1-459837683
32 pp.
Ages 6-8
September 2024
Though there is a neurological explanation for the stimulation of creativity, the derivation of the word "inspiration" suggests a divine influence upon the mind or soul. But whether the interplay of neural networks or instigation of external forces, the children in Alison Hughes's latest picture book are being inspired to imagine, to play, and to interact in different ways with their world.
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| From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney |
After a day of imaginative play, the weary children take to their beds and are inspired to dream more adventures.
In the twirling danceof their dreams,they wove colors, shapes andadventuresinto something beautifuland strangeand new.
Alison Hughes's books have always had the capacity to uplift, whether they be picture books like The Creepy-Crawly Thought, Oliver Bounces Back! and The Cold Little Voice, or novels like Fly and Over the Top. Though many of her books depict children dealing with issues from anxiety and worry to cerebral palsy and bullying, What Inspires focuses on the positives that can come from being open to inspiration for creativity that can come from a falling seed, a tree, or a playground set. There is no formula for inspiration. It only requires a receptivity to the possibility in the everyday. A park with people doing ordinary things, whether biking or sitting, enjoying the quiet or watching the clouds, becomes a canvas for a myriad of experiences and connections. Moreover, Alison Hughes allows her characters to play how they wish and to imagine what they are and can do. They can dance in a wheelchair or upon a swing, tap their feet or soar on skateboards. Their experiences are their own, just as their dreams are at the end of the day.
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| From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney |
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| From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney |
What inspires you will be your own and can happen at any time and at any place and with anyone, or no one. It could be something small and tangible, to overwhelming and ethereal. Whatever force it is that inspires you, I hope that you embrace it, even if for only a moment, to encourage the originality of thought and action that it can spark.
