- Everyday Life
- Picture Books
- Ages 5–10
The shape of it
The shape of this universe.
Imagination is the loose, much-loved series of philosophical picture books by Japanese author-illustrator Shinsuke Yoshitake, published in English by Thames & Hudson. Each book takes one small, everyday thing, an apple on the table, a boring list of chores, a grandfather's death, a bad mood, a map, and unfolds it into pages of playful, deadpan speculation drawn in Yoshitake's spare, hilarious linework. There is no plot to follow and no reading order: the thread running through every title is a delight in curiosity and the questioning mind, the sense that the world is far stranger and more interesting than we assume. Funny, endlessly re-readable and quietly profound, these are springboards for wondering, drawing and asking 'but what if...?', treasured by children and the adults reading alongside them.
Shinsuke Yoshitake's deadpan philosophical picture books, each turning one everyday thing into pages of playful what-ifs. Funny, wise and endlessly re-readable.
Primary themes
Tone palette
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Thought provoking
- Warm
The series
One way in.
Cultural footprint
A shelf of evidence.
Cultural ubiquity
2/ 5A working classic for readers in the know.
Sensitivity
Moderate, and collection-wide.
Content notes
- Death of character
- Grief
Across the collection
All 5 books.
About the creator