What is a Book

The book that will transform children’s relationship with reading. Emily Dickinson once likened a book to a “frugal frigate” that can carry you away to unknown lands of imagination. Albert Einstein believed 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 drawings too.” What Is a Book explores how a book is far more than paper and ink—it is a gateway into imagination, experience, and discovery. A book is a house. It is like a roof over your head, a cozy place to stay—a safe corner to hide away where you feel protected and secure. A book is a door. You open it and step into a different world. Will you meet someone? What will happen next? As the book reveals how a story can be an airplane, a blanket, a mirror, or a window, it shows how each metaphor represents a journey from the familiar self into something new—stimulating, comforting, and full of wonder. A book is a window. There is someone not at all like you out there—someone different, someone you are curious to understand and know more about. Perhaps that is why we read: to explore difference, connection, and possibility. A book is also a brick, a swing, and a sandwich. When you discover why, you understand what books can do for us—where they can take us, and what they can teach us. This is both a powerful book for children and a reminder for adults of why we have always loved, valued, and cherished books—and why they remain so important.