Imagine!

Though Colón (Draw!) grew up in New York City, he didn’t visit the city’s art museums until he was an adult. The powerful idea of encountering original modern masterworks as a child, his author’s note says, inspired this wordless fantasy. Using the deeply saturated hues and combed textures of his signature style, the artist draws a brown-skinned boy hopping onto his skateboard, sailing across the Brooklyn Bridge, and heading into the Museum of Modern Art, checking his helmet and board at the entrance. Inside, he encounters Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy, Picasso’s Three Musicians, and Matisse’s Icarus. He’s awed by the paintings—Colón draws him with his hands clasped behind his head—and is overjoyed when the figures burst from their frames. After dancing with the boy out onto the street, they tour famous New York landmarks together—fast-moving stills show the figures in improbable N.Y.C. settings with humorous believability—before returning to the museum. Back in Brooklyn, the figures remain in the boy’s mind, and he creates some magnificent art of his own. Colón’s vibrant scenes make it clear that visiting works of art can breathe magic into the everyday and inspire further creativity afterward. Ages 4–8. Agent: Gail Morgan, Morgan Gaynin Agency. [em](Sept.) [/em]