Imagine!

* A brown-skinned boy, living in a New York City borough, rides his skateboard into Manhattan to visit the Museum of Modern Art for the first time. After viewing several revered paintings, the boy’s inspired imagination enables him to enter one of the pictures and then lead the characters out of three separate works of art. He and seven of the images, including a dog and a lion, dance out of the museum. They all spend the day experiencing some New York City highlights, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster, eating hot dogs from a street vendor and having a sing-along in a park. Colón’s signature colored pencils and watercolor scratchboard-style illustrations bring the magical adventure to life. Rich colors and textures create paintings readers will want to spend time studying. References to famous artists and their work are sprinkled throughout: Matisse’s Icarus conjures up a hat when emerging from his frame, the flat, angular shapes of Picasso’s Three Musicians become rounded and animated and Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy awakens to join the fun. The author/illustrator has combined his love of music and illustration to create a delightful wordless tribute to the arts with a magical touch. — Booklist, starred review