Book Review: What Inspires by Alison Hughes & Ellen Rooney (illustrator)

Rating: 3 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing What Inspires by Alison Hughes, and it was truly a delightful book!

The story begins with three friends who venture to the park, a place that seems ordinary at first glance. But as the wind rustles the trees and sends maple keys dancing through the air, the kids find themselves swept up in a wave of creativity. Their innocent whirling and spinning catches the attention of a baby who laughs and claps, which in turn inspires a man to tap a rhythm with his cane. This moment sets off a delightful chain reaction: soon, the children and everyone around them embark on imaginative adventures, from building fortresses to sailing imaginary seas, and even staging a colorful parade. The magic continues until night falls, leaving the kids with dreams filled with endless possibilities.

One of the standout aspects of this book for me was the illustrations. They are just beautiful! The use of a subdued color palette gives the images a soft, dreamy quality—almost like crayon or colored pencil drawings. They perfectly complement the theme of the story, which emphasizes that inspiration can be found even in the most mundane moments of our day. It’s a heartfelt reminder of how imagination can flourish in unexpected ways and how contagious that creativity can be, spreading from one person to another.

I particularly appreciated the thoughtful and inclusive theme of What Inspires. Books like this are essential; we need more stories that capture the beauty of imagination and its power to transform an ordinary day into something extraordinary. It left me with a warm feeling and a gentle nudge to embrace creativity in my own life.

Overall, What Inspires is a charming read that reminds us all about the magic of imagination and connection. If you’re looking for a book to inspire your inner child or teach young ones about creativity, this one is definitely worth checking out!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Three friends on their day out find their imaginations sparked by a most unlikely source, when they start to chase and dance after the sycamore seeds that are falling on them. This inspires other people to dance, as well, and then accompany it in music, and then in visual arts, and then drama, and then in the dreams of everyone concerned when they finally turn in after an active, engaging day together. This is a metaphor for what the right kind of seed (of any type) can do – create something that can grow and grow, and however unlikely it all is, for these strangers to lose all inhibitions and just be inspired, it's a nice moral to see. I did find the art a bit less nice to see – this has to be an autumn day for the seeds to be coming down but the whole just looks too grey, subdued and gloomy for my tastes. So for unlikeliness, however well-meant, and for visuals, this is probably three and a half stars.

This was a sweet story that’s perfect for bringing in the autumn season. I expected it to be about the changing leaves, and instead was pleasantly surprised to read about the magic of everyday life at the park through a child’s eyes. The writing was lyrical without rhyming and the illustrations were both beautiful and inclusive.

My favorite thing about this book is the illustrations. They are beautifully done. The story was very nice too, and I think both kids and parents will really enjoy this one.

This delightful book beautifully captures the magic and power of imagination and creativity. Children playing outside are inspired by everything around them from the breeze to the ever changing clouds. Their joy and enthusiasm are contagious to everyone with them, and will be to readers as well. Lovely and calming illustrations throughout enhance the uplifting message of this story. A wonderful celebration of childhood and a reminder to adults to notice the beauty in the everyday. A highly recommended read!

I feel this is such an important book to read with the kids! It will show how we can conquer our differences; how to grasp the day and how we can enjoy our time with those with us.

I appreciate the feature of different age groups and including characters of different backgrounds/representation.

The artstyle is just WOW.

Such a precious book!

Thank you, Orca Book Publishers, for the ARC.

This picture book is about imagination and what inspires the things we dream of. It features a variety of characters enjoying a playgound/park and imagining creative ideas in the world around them. It plays on the idea of collaborative imaginative play and shows how imagination can lead to connections between people. The artwork is really beautiful and the writing is carefully crafted. I did find the font a bit small and slightly difficult to read on some pages, as it is black on coloured backgrounds. I could see this being a mentor text for creative writing and art lessons. I could see this book in my classroom library. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this imaginative story with gorgeous and lush drawing like illustrations.

Well done for including a child in a wheelchair as one of the three friends who go to the park together! Nothing is happening at the park and then suddenly everything is!! Life is what you make of it and seeing everyone dancing and singing and playing and using their imagination was amazing! I didn’t expect it to be such a wonderful experience that honestly gave me goosebumps. And the dreams when they went to bed afterwards, really topped it off!

Kids are going to love this! There’s so much to see and you can only get happy and excited reading this and start imagining your own adventures :).

this book was so sweet. loved that it had diverse characters and disability representation. the illustrations were adorable!

We throughly enjoyed “What inspires” in our house. It kept my toddler engaged throughout and I felt there was a lovely message within. The illustrations and the format of the story were well thought out. Think this story would suit children of all different ages.

Read this children's book to my 4 year old and she absolutely loves it. It was the perfect length, the pictures were wonderful and tied in well and the topic of inspiration is so valid in this season where so many settle. It was fun to watch her mimic what she saw in the book as she, herself became inspired. Wonderful book and we will be purchasing it for our bookshelf!

My nephew and I loved this book. There was so much going on that he was pointing and tapping along with the characters. The colors in the book kept him engaged and asking questions.

Loved that the ending had the kids still dreaming about all the fun stuff they had lived through the day.

I think this would be a fun book for any young child.

What Inspires has a lovely lyrical text and detailed illustrations kids will study as the book is read. It encourages kids to see the creativity in the ordinary. It would be a great bedtime book.

What inspires is a lovely book about how nature can inspire creativity, and that everyone can get involved, leading to new friends, fun times and wonderful memories. The writing, combined with the gorgeous illustrations execute the concept beautifully. I love that this book encourages children to play outside and enjoy nature rather than staying indoors staring at screens. It shows how you don’t always need expensive toys to have fun as your imagination has no limits and anything can happen. Thank you to NetGalley/the publisher/author for the eARC.

My pet peeve is where books include music signs for *aesthetic* but they aren't drawn correctly.

But other than that, this book is beautiful, I really like how the text is incorporated in the pictures! The story is beautiful as well, and I love how the colours reflect the mood of the plot!

This was a lovely, sweet read that encourages imaginative play. It teaches children that inspiration can be everywhere and life needn’t be dull. The illustrations were very cute. My boys enjoyed this one.

First, I am very thankful to #netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'What Inspires' by Alison Hughes is a beautiful illustrated book. The illustrations done by Ellen Rooney are really nice. The colour palette is wonderful.

This book talks about how children can find inspiration in a normal day when nothing happens—nothing at all—how nature can make them imagine, heal, and dream, and how inspiration spreads from one person to another. The theme of this book is very thoughtful, and we need this kind of book more.

4.75 stars/5 stars
#WhatInspires #Netgalley

A beautifully delivered story. The art is so creative and calm. My toddler like “looking at the pictures” and the way “the letters were on the page.”

A wonderful, inclusive picture book about taking inspiration from the smallest of things and what can become of it.
Beautifully illustrated with a lovely story for all ages.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗦 takes you on a lovely and adventurous journey where there are endless possibilities for adventure and fun! With its easy to read passages and stunning illustrations, it is sure to become a classroom favourite. Highly recommend.