Book Description
for Lift by Minh Lê and Dan Santat
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
When Iris is "feeling a bit down," a ride in the elevator never fails to give her a lift. There's just something about pushing those buttons! It's Iris's special job. One day her little brother beats her to it, and in angry retaliation, Iris presses all the buttons. When she and her Asian American family finally arrive on their floor, Iris finds an elevator button in the trash, discarded by a repairman. She tapes it up beside her closet door, and to her surprise, the button lights up, transforming her closet into a vast jungle. She wants to explore, but the babysitter has arrived. Iris grumpily endures an evening of annoying toddler behavior from her brother (throwing food, overturning their board game) until bedtime, when she is finally alone and free to tour a new world. This time, as she floats in outer space, her adventures are interrupted by her brother's cries. Instead of getting angry, Iris comforts him with a bedtime story, and, in the morning, takes him along on a new adventure. Drawn in panels, this story of imagination and escapism remains firmly grounded in a true-to-life sibling relationship. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2021. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2021. Used with permission.