What If We...
by Vivienne Chang; illus. by Eugenia Yoh
Preschool, Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
6/25    9780316377201    $18.99

This imaginative story features a restless bespectacled boy named Max who finds a better way to experience a summer day, thanks to his wise little sister, Mimi. On the first day of vacation, Max enjoys a bunch of activities, captured in a clever cross-section view of his home. However, by the second day, “there was nothing else to do.” Max wonders if the park would be more fun. He rides the springy toys and swings on the swings, but “what if I was at the pool…?” Visits to the pool and then the zoo fail to enthrall him. Engaging mixed-media illustrations show Mimi, with her enthusiastic body language, joining her brother and thriving in each space. Despite the protagonist’s ennui, Chang’s sometimes rhyming text is lively and is well complemented by the art. Max dreams of more outlandish things to do—“What if I…jumped on giant Jell-o…rode on a koi…”—and the colorful illustrations become increasingly surreal. His imaginings explode on an energetic double-page spread showing him involved in such exciting activities as soaring into outer space. Feeling left out of his elaborate plans, Mimi suggests: “What if WE?” The tale ends on a reassuring note with Max realizing that baby sis is indeed correct. An inventive sibling romp. ★

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.