FLORA'S TREE HOUSE

Flora is inspired to create her artistic drawings and paintings as she watches her younger brother, Will, engage in his adventurous, imaginative play.

A loud and rambunctious muse, Will has never seen the artwork that decorates the walls of his sister’s treehouse. One day, however, he observes her sketching, becomes curious, and climbs the ladder even though he is strictly an unwelcome visitor (“NO WILLS ALLOWED!” reads her sign). Flora’s gallery is impressive, and despite her initial grumpiness, she explains that many of the pictures mirror his play, like the recent aliens he was fighting or the time he flew his rocket to Pluto. As the siblings, who are white, reminisce about each of Will’s escapades represented in Flora’s masterpieces, the two soon combine their imaginative talents and create a new adventure together. Colorful digital illustrations temper the mild sibling rivalry with the children’s round, smiling faces. As Flora explains her artwork, realistic scenes fade to magnificent imaginary tableaux in which both children enact the artwork, underscoring how the creative use of crayons and markers can extend a young child’s concepts and perceptions.

A subtle and inventive alternative to today’s technology-tethered indoor play.