Chicago Treasure

Have y'all seen this creative and wacky book, Chicago Treasure? It's a collection of fairy tale-themed poems and short stories all focused around actual children out and about in Chicago illustrated in vivid color photographs. Here's the descriptive blurb:

Chicago has many treasures. The Magnificent Mile and Wrigley Field, wonderful public art and parks, beautiful bridges and skylines. But the true heart and the real treasure of the city are its children. 

This book is devoted to Chicago's children. Come along as they travel to worlds within worlds, becoming storybook characters who follow the Yellow Brick Road, sip tea in Wonderland, tame a tiger, live in a shoe, climb a magic beanstalk to bring home a golden-egg-laying hen, turn a frog into a prince, meet fairies and dragons. 

Continue as they step into painted canvases to inhabit scenes from other times and places. After climbing down from those framed worlds, they explore the city, high-fiving the victorious Chicago Bears, joining penguins at the theater, and leaping across State Street Bridge aboard African impalas. 

The kids are the story. The book is their adventure. Its door swings open. . . 

For kids of all ages. 168 pages and 150 illustrations. Unlimited dreams.

Here are a few spreads from the book to give you a flavor:

 One of my favorite elements is the section featuring children incorporated into works of fine art. Here's an idea for kids and classrooms to try themselves!

The classic stories and poems are rewritten in contemporary language to match the contemporary art. And did you see how diverse the children are? Such a fun and lovely aspect of the book. What a fun idea to invite children to celebrate their town or city, to put children themselves in the photographs, and to cosplay nursery rhymes and fairy tales in this contemporary context. 

Now head on over to Today's Little Ditty where Michelle is hosting our Poetry Friday fun!