To Make

In this expansive look at process, Davis asserts that there are three steps common to creation: “gather, make, wait.” A cake requires gathering a tower of ingredients, making them into a swirling mélange, and then waiting while it bakes. A friendship involves assembling materials, crafting a home for a bird, and watchfully awaiting a feathered being’s taking up residence. DeRoma’s mixed-media illustrations employ velvety pastel and pencil textures to conjure a visual feast, portraying a cast of arrayed abilities and skin tones engaging in varied creative pursuits, assisted by fairies and a friendly gnome. As the figures contemplate making a garden, music, and a story, among other things, pictures frame the concept of creativity and how it rewards the effort (and frustration) invested in it. As the final pages show the characters enjoying a joyful moonlit celebration, readers are urged to “keep making.// Keep waiting.// Because one day you will share something wonderful// that only you know how to make.” Ages 4–8. (May)