Museum Magic! Explorers by Matthew Cordell

Dad, Mom, and two kids--big brother and little sister--head off for a special outing--to the museum! Outside the imposing building, they stop for hot dogs, and the boy spies something else that gets his attention.

Under a sign that says MAGIC, a homeless man sits, selling origami birds, and the boy has to have one. It flies great!

KSSSHHHH!

The boy chases it as it soars up over the big stairway to the tall columns around the door.

Inside the museum, the boy's sister wants to visit the Butterfly Room first, but the boy preempts the choice by sailing his bird-plane toward the towering T. Rex skeleton in the middle of the grand hall. He runs after it through the whole exhibit and finally....

CATCH!

As the rest of the family admires the awesome Arms and Armor exhibit, the boy aims his toy past the Egyptian mummies, and it flies right though ancient Greece and China, where another boy spies it and with a quick reach and grab, he makes a...

CATCH!

The other boy smiles as he tries to return the toy, but with a frown, its owner ungraciously makes a grab for it.

SNATCH!

Dad kneels down for a eyeball-to-eyeball lecture on good manners, and the four sit down for a short timeout, just as little sister spots her chance to...

SNATCH!

KSSSHHHH!

Big brother follows the flight, down the curvy staircase, past the dinosaur, the mummies, the Chinese dragon, and the swords and suits of armor. But it's gone! Dejectedly he sits down on the time-out bench. He's lost, too! His toy is nowhere to be seen., when...

KSSSHHHH!

With a big smile, the other boy flies it to a perfect landing beside him. Boy, toy, and family are reunited, as both families meet and agree to take in the Butterfly Room together. As they say goodbye, the boy passes the flying bird on to his new friend. But...

Where is that Magic Man by the hot dog stand? In the Caldecott-winning Matthew Cordell's new, almost wordless book, Explorers (Feiwel and Friends, 2019), a family exploration of what looks to be Chicago's Field Museum turns out to be more of a learning experience than just mummy and armor lore. Two different boys bond when they share an almost magical toy and an unexpected friendship is begun. Cordell's trademark scratchy pen-and-ink illustrations portray his own family to depict a humorous and heartwarming lesson in kindness learned along with the exhibits. "Full of heart!" says the Wall Street Journal.

The Bridge Between! Drawn Together by Min Le and Dan Santat

When a determinedly cheerful mom drops her son off after school at the doorstep of a small house, the boy clearly is not happy. He trudges dutifully up to the door, his backpack heavy on his shoulders and his eyes downcast, and rings the bell.

He's met by an old man, his grandfather, but there are no greetings exchanged. The grandfather bows, his hands together in salutation, and the boy returns the gesture glumly. They seem to know no words in common.

The grandfather turns on the television, but the boy gets little out of the drama, aside from the presence of a dragon in the story. Bored, the boy pulls some colored pencils and paper out of his backpack and begins to draw a spirited young wizard with a wand and powers to vanquish a dragon. The grandfather suddenly smiles and leaves the room, returning with a sketch book, a tiny brush, and an inkwell.

Taking a seat beside the boy he draws a marvelous ancient Asian sorcerer who dispatches the dragon with a broadsword. The boy's eyes are alight as he draws his wizard by the side of his grandfather's sorcerer. Together they create a magnificent magical story.

All the things we could never say come pouring out....

Art is the medium which bridges the gap of age and language between the two as each realize what they share together, in Min Le's wordless Drawn Together (Hyperion, 2018). Inside the unspoken narrative, artist Dan Santat works his visual magic in illustrations that show the two relatives doing their favorite thing together, as both realize that they do indeed share the bond of kinship and a love of art. It is a beautiful story of family love and generational connection, with artist Santat making the most of the opportunity to show off his versatile talents in two different styles, in a book that can be "read" by all ages. A beautiful book that speaks volumes about the ties that bind grandfathers and grandsons.

Says Publishers Weekly "Santat's work dazzles with layers of color, exquisitely worked tradional designs, and ambitious scale. With the grandfather drawing in his idom and the boy in his, the two defeat the dragon of difference that separates them."