From the bestselling creator of Skippyjon Jones , a heartwarming story about the importance of imagination and creativity. Sarabella is always thinking—conjuring, daydreaming, and creating new worlds from her imagination.  There is so much going on in her head that it can barely be contained. But there are times when daydreaming is decidedly not a good thing—like when you're supposed to be doing multiplication tables. Luckily, Sarabella has an understanding teacher and with his encouragement She comes up with her own idea to show everyone who she is. PreS-Gr 2—Sarabella daydreams constantly but doesn't communicate her thoughts. Her parents, creative types themselves, don't share her teacher's concern that she needs to focus more in school. Her puppet-loving older sister suggests she "take deep breaths and squint" to facilitate concentration, but this just results in a dizzy spell and visit to the school nurse. Finally, a weekend assignment requiring students to draw their thoughts prompts the youngster to follow the advice of the beautiful whale living in her imagination: "To share it, you've/ just got to wear it." After much coloring, cutting, and pasting, she arrives at school wearing a hat containing "the most spectacular collection of doodles and daydreams." The lengthy text includes phrases like "Seeds of ideas" printed in grass and words such as "reason," "reflect," and "ponder" in a flower pot. The colorful illustrations, executed in acrylics, gouache, collage, and mixed media, depict Sarabella's daydreams in huge bubbles containing a cornucopia of objects. Her hat is so remarkable that it stretches across a spread. In humorous contrast, her cat appears repeatedly sporting the same thought: fish. This child has "a green thumb for thinking." Yet this is problematic in school where her teacher, though kind, repeatedly requests that she focus on her work instead of allowing her to learn in her own way. The scene in which she draws her thoughts reveals a distressed girl with "an upset tummy." VERDICT While Sarabella's ideas, seen through Schachner's dazzling illustrations, are presented as wonderfully imaginative, Peter Reynolds's Happy Dreamer offers a much more exuberant dreamer and encouragement for readers to follow his example.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA Praise for Sarabella's Thinking Cap "This gentle book provides support for every child who daydreams in school and a wake-up call for her or his teachers. . . . A lovely celebration of creativity and a different learning style." — Booklist “Readers, particularly introspective types, are sure to see the magic in Sarabella’s perspective.” — Publishers Weekly   “This is the sweetest read aloud for any child, but particularly for the little daydreamer in your life.” —Geekdad   “Sarabella’s ideas, seen through Schachner’s dazzling illustrations, are presented as wonderfully imaginative.” — School Library Journal "More than a tribute to a child’s imagination . . . A tender, sensitive tribute to those introspective students in a classroom, who don’t always quite fit the standard educational mold—a welcome thing, indeed." —Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast “This is a great example of the creativity in divergent brains.” —Imagination Soup   “This is an exceptional book! It reveals the inner and outer world of a child with attention challenges, presenting this issue as a gift rather than a disability. The fanciful watercolor illustrations are charming and fun. This book is a valuable resource for any child who struggles in school. It could serve as a valuable tool to encourage understanding and respect of individual differences in the classroom as well.” —Culture Honey Best known for her Skippyjon Jones series, Judy Schachner has illustrated many of her own stories, including the much-loved The Grannyman and its companion book, Bits & Pieces . She has also illustrated stories by others, including I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson and How the Cat Swallowed Thunder by Lloyd Alexander. She lives in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.