From an artist seated on the grass with her sketchpad, this chronology of the creation, editing, and production of a book comes full circle to a child reading the book before moving to a blank sketchbook page to begin work on their own story. In between that beginning and ending, the description of the book’s path meanders through the components of daily life, concrete and abstract: paper, watercolors, tea, and wonder in the artist’s home studio; assistants, computers, coffee, and teamwork at the publisher’s office; paper, ink, glue, and time at the printer’s shop; and books, shelves, readers, and curiosity in the school where the books are delivered. Elisha Cooper’s trademark watercolor and pencil illustrations range from small thumbnails set off by generous white space to color-washed full-page spreads.

A love letter to books, showing how many elements and people contribute to making something beautiful, from Caldecott honoree Elisha Cooper

Multiple starred reviews: "An immediate classic."* / "Special...bringing the parts of the book together into one unified message."** / "A steo-by-step representation of how a book comes into being."***

In this poetic and beautifully illustrated ode to creativity and the process of making books, Caldecott honoree Elisha Cooper takes readers on a journey showing how words and art move from one person to another.

From writer to reader, and everyone who contributes in between: Here is a book, made with love.

An artist’s studio overflows with sketches, drafts, a wastebasket, and wonder.
A publisher’s office hums with computers, layouts, coffee, and teamwork.
A printer makes a layout into a book using presses, ink, paper, and time.
And that book travels to a school, to a library, to a student, to a home.

* Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; **Booklist; ***Publishers Weekly