WE CAN PLAY ANYTHING!

A youngster pitches a playdate to a friend.

This charming picture book translated from Dutch has a very simple premise: One kid invites another over and speculates about the kinds of games they might play. The text is spare, with just one or two simply structured sentences per spread, which will appeal to newly independent readers. The focus here is on the painterly illustrations, each a frame-worthy work of art. Through rich use of color and texture, Törnqvist captures an enchanting mix of a child’s imagination (a whimsical “rainbow-bird tree”) and reality (the kids playing with an elaborate farm toy set). One fetching scene blends the two as the children race through a meadow with actual farm animals and a plush zebra tagging along. Indeed, attentive readers will notice several stuffed toys (including the aforementioned zebra and a penguin) who come to life and accompany the children on their adventures, whether leading a train made up of cardboard boxes or sitting in the audience as the youngsters perform a play. Toward the end, the children lounge in a kiddie pool with penguin and zebra floaties while the plushies lie in the nearby grass. The book’s narrator is brown-skinned with short dark hair; the friend is pale-skinned with blond pigtails.

As endlessly immersive as a child’s imaginings.