nbsp;Ruiz Johnson beautifully depicts the high energy of young children in urban settings. Her bright, complementary palette employs blues and warm oranges to enliven the scenes. Children and adults embody wide-ranging skin tones and hair textures and sport a rainbow of colorful, patterned clothing. The child protagonist is seldom seen without an important-looking black-covered book, but it’s only after arriving home that its pages can finally be opened. Amid the whir of housework and meal prep, the child slips into another world, which the artist depicts as a darkly inviting, soundless scene of stars, botanical motifs, animals, an elf, and a mermaid. Through this lovely contrast, preschoolers will understand the transportive power of reading. Lively scenes and a pro-reading theme combine for a solid title with buckets of kid appeal. (Picture book. 2-6)
