I WANT TO BE A VASE

Oh, the things you can be!

A toilet plunger announces it wants to be a vase. Despite reasonable dissenting arguments from its bathroom neighbors, the plunger can’t be swayed. This angers the imperious vacuum cleaner, who insists that things should stick to their everyday jobs. Its firm opposition doesn’t faze the plunger, who wants what it wants. Soon, other household items climb aboard the self-actualization train; the saucepan decides to be a trash can, for instance. (One riotous page depicts improbable uses for other common appliances.) The vacuum really loses it when the hair dryer announces its desire to be…a vacuum cleaner, prompting the vacuum to furiously spew dirt everywhere. Happily, with the hair dryer’s help, the vacuum soon has the place spotless and grudgingly compliments the plunger’s flowers. The premise is odd but comical and certainly original; children will giggle contemplating different uses for everyday gadgets. Kids are great at pretending and playing imaginative games, so they won’t have trouble buying into the whimsy on offer. They’ll appreciate the reassuring, empowering message to be who you are if that makes you happy, and the collaboration and acceptance themes will resonate. The colorful digital illustrations, featuring dollhouselike miniatures representing common household goods, are very appealing. Varying typefaces and fonts signal different voices “spoken” by the objects. Note the hilarious final declaration from the book itself. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Great for stimulating creative thinking and art activities: What else can ordinary objects be?