Hui Li brilliantly transforms the history of Chinese characters into a marvelous adventure in Scrolls. Watching Grandpa practice calligraphy inspires Lulu (and her never-far-away pup, Dumpling) to try it. Lulu's drawing of "DOOR" opens a portal where the pictographs she's been learning come alive: a helpful bird, a riverside village, a fiery dragon. Cleverly, Lulu's paintbrush enables a safe return home, much like Harold's purple crayon. Li's first solo author/artist title, created in watercolor, colored pencil, and Chinese ink, is an imaginative, purposefully rendered comic picture-book. Li adds Chinese characters across the page-tops, encouraging readers to find them within her inviting drawings. "Imagine if every character you draw has its own story," Li's author's note muses. Here, it magically does. --Terry Hong