Key Selling Points

• Three friends go to the park, where nothing is happening, except the maple keys spinning down from the trees, inspiring them into a twirling dance, which makes a baby clap and a man tap his cane, and that goes on and on. We watch the domino effect of inspiration widen and close out with children's imaginative dreams.
• What Inspires evokes the free-form nature of creativity and inspiration and how ideas can come from anywhere; it shows the passing on of the spark of creativity from one person to the next and, finally, it captures the joy of open-ended play.
• The (mostly) outdoor setting and depiction of art/creativity in many forms makes the activities in this book open to everyone and a perfect springboard for classroom discussion about what forms of artistic expression kids most enjoy and how anything can be art, from painting to building a stick fort.
• Alison Hughes (who has written 20 books for young adults and children) and Ellen Rooney (whose work includes the award-winning Grandmother School) are a powerhouse combination, as Alison's lyrical writing is perfectly complemented by Ellen's vibrant, dynamic illustrations.