The Think-Ups

When you can’t go outside to play, it’s time to call on your imagination—and summon all the marvelous creatures you can think up.

What’s there to do when you’re stuck inside on a rainy day? If you’re like Kiki, with a big imagination, you teach your sister how to play the Think-Ups. It’s easy: you take turns thinking up any animal you like (A bunny! A moose! An octopus! A koala!) and, just like that, that creature (or several of them) will appear. In a blink, your house will be overflowing with hopping, hungry, messy Think-Ups. Quick, Kiki! What are the rules for ending the game? A charming story about keeping boredom at bay, with sure appeal for little animal lovers and creative thinker-uppers."A sweet visual idiom. . . A fast-moving story with two high-spirited heroes, Alexander’s tale prizes imagination, creativity, and quick thinking."

—Publishers Weekly

The premise of an imagination run amok is a tried-and-true storytime winner, and this hits all the right notes from the lively pace to the familiar context to the toylike animals. . . . Rambunctious youngsters will appreciate the cheerful energy here.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Alexander’s exuberant text lends itself perfectly to reading aloud. . . Kiki and Anna’s rapidly shifting emotional extremes are dead-on and offer additional points for discussion. . . . A deftly executed homage to the power children possess to imagine away a dreary day.

—Kirkus Reviews

Alexander’s sweetly cartoonish illustrations are very funny. . . this delightful and imaginative romp will have readers giggling and wishing for Think-Ups of their own.
—School Library JournalClaire Alexander is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. She studied fine arts at the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Canterbury, England. In addition to her picture book work, Claire is a portrait painter and teaches courses in picture-book making at the House of Illustration in London. Claire Alexander lives in London.