- Everyday Life
- Imagination collection
- Ages 5–10
Imagination
Part of the collectionImagination→Standalone picture books that turn everyday things into big playful questions. Deadpan, wise and perfect for reading aloud and talking together.
- Books5
- Arcs1
- Span2015–2024
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
Shinsuke Yoshitake's Imagination books are standalone philosophical picture books that share a voice rather than a story. Each takes an ordinary starting point and follows a child's runaway curiosity outward: what if an apple isn't an apple, could a robot really be me, what happens after we die, where do bad moods come from, what else could a map show? Told in deadpan text and spare, funny drawings, they treat big ideas, identity, mortality, emotion, perception, with lightness and genuine depth. There is no continuity between titles, so they can be read in any order and enjoyed as single sittings or returned to again and again. Superb read-alouds and conversation-starters, they invite children to question, draw and reimagine the world around them.
Standalone picture books that turn everyday things into big playful questions. Deadpan, wise and perfect for reading aloud and talking together.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Thought provoking
- Warm
No reading order, each book is completely standalone. It Might Be An Apple is the best-known entry point.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- IStandalone collection arcModerate sensitivity
The Imagination picture books
Five standalone deadpan picture books, each an everyday thing turned into big questions.
The five Imagination books are fully standalone and can be read in any order. Each takes a single everyday subject and spins it into pages of playful, philosophical what-ifs: the nature of an apple, what makes you you, what might come after death, where bad moods come from, and everything a map could possibly chart. Most sit at the gentle, low-sensitivity end, but What Happens Next? handles the death of a grandparent with warmth and honesty, so it is worth choosing knowingly for a grieving child. Across the set the tone is deadpan, curious and quietly reassuring, ideal for reading aloud, sparking conversation and encouraging children to draw and wonder for themselves.
It Might Be An AppleThames & Hudson · MMXVIt Might Be An AppleCan I Build Another Me?Thames & Hudson · MMXVICan I Build Another Me?What Happens Next?Thames & Hudson · MMXVIIWhat Happens Next?Why Do I Feel Like This?Thames & Hudson · MMXXWhy Do I Feel Like This?I Wonder Where I Am?Thames & Hudson · MMXXIVI Wonder Where I Am?
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 5–10
- Read aloud · 4–9
- Independent · 6–10
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Moderate overall, and consistent.
Content notes
- Death of character
- Grief
About the author