by Billie Meyers

Created on: May 23, 2008

The best books are the books that open windows to the imagination, the I-just-want-to-lie-here-and-dream-awhile kind of books that create possibilities in the mind just waiting to be explored. Two such books for children age five to adult are "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney and "Horton Hears A Who" by Dr. Seuss.

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful," said Grandfather to young Alice. "Miss Rumphius," as Alice is called, is a beautiful book written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Puffin Books: 1982). This winner of the American Book Award will leave your child dreaming of faraway places and of living in a cottage by the sea. Read to find out how Alice makes "the world more beautiful." After you close the book, ask your child, "What can you do to make the world more beautiful?" Then let your child's imagination run wild as he or she attempts to answer that question.

The gorgeous illustrations in "Miss Rumphius" will transport you to Alice's world. You'll feel the warm, moist air and smell the jasmine of the greenhouse when she visits there. You will join the other children sitting in front of a crackling fire eating cookies and drinking hot cocoa as old Miss Rumphius tells her stories of a life well lived. Don't miss this one. Adults will find it inspiring too!

"Horton Hears A Who" by Dr. Seuss was originally copyrighted in 1954 (Random House). The fact that Twentieth Century Fox recently released an animated movie based on this book speaks to the story's ability to spark the imagination. The Whos of Who-Ville will launch your child's mind into the unknown as he or she contemplates the idea of a civilization living on a dust speck! Together, wonder what it must be like to be an ant. Have your child consider the Earth's size in relation to the size of the Universe; it is as if we too are living on a dust speck.

But don't settle for the movie; you must read the book! The movie is great fun, but the book does a much better job of invoking the imagination. Besides, you won't want to miss the rhyming, rhythmic genius that sets Dr. Seuss apart as a children's author.

Keep these books on your child's night table and read them often. You may find that you and your child will start having "Horton" moments-instances when the vastness of the Universe is keenly felt. And who wouldn't want to send a child off to dreamland every night thinking of ways to make the world more beautiful?

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