Lift by Mihn Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat. Grades PreK-2nd. Unpaged. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020. Review copy provided by my local library.
This gorgeous, imaginative picture book is glorious. When little brother starts pushing the elevator buttons, a job that used to belong to big sister, she is not very happy. After an elevator mishap, she swipes a broken elevator button from the maintenance man and tapes it up in her room. When she pushes the button, she discovers that it takes her to a different, fascinating place each time. But she can't spend all her time in magical places - she has a little brother who needs her, after all. This is a book that older siblings will definitely relate to and it combines wonder and whimsy with a strong loving message about the bond of siblings.
With beautiful illustrations and a storyline that will appeal to a wide range of readers, I keep sending this book out in our book care packages as often as it appears back on the shelf. It's a story that will capture imaginations and it could be a really fun idea for an imaginative game to play. (Plus, who doesn't love pushing buttons!?)
