Author Kyo Maclear (Hello, Rain!) and illustrator Julie Morstad (When Green Becomes Tomatoes) collaborate once again (Julia, Child) for the picture book A Door Is to Open, which offers a tantalizing glimpse into the nature and essence of doors.
A door can be so many things. Most obviously, "a door is to open." It's to "knock on and go through... and close." Beyond the doors there may be a cozy dinner or a large party with balloons and presents. One door might become an opportunity for playing, another for looking in, and yet another for looking out. A door may be for "who will come through" or asking, "Where will it lead?" Some doors are "secret openings"; some are "hidden underwater where it's cold and fishy"; and an extraordinary door might even hide tiny fairy friends. But "the only way to find out... is to go through!"
In Maclear and Morstad's accomplished hands, even the most basic door becomes chock-full of promise. Maclear's crisp, evocative text explores the concept, offering an insightful range of suggestions while establishing "the door" most notably as a portal for imagination. Morstad's mixed-media illustrations add to and advance the narrative, turning "a door is to open" into a train of black kittens coming home and "a screen door is for feeling the night air" into a darkened, outdoor scene with a child happily camping. Reminiscent in tone and style of the classic A Hole Is to Dig by Ruth Krauss (to whom the book is dedicated) and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, A Door Is to Open adroitly sweeps readers into the infinite wonder and potential that awaits behind closed doors. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author