Title: “TA-DA!”Author: Kathy Ellen DavisIllustrator: Kaylani JuanitaGenre: children’s literatureTheme(s): Working together, imaginationOpening line/sentence: “Once upon a time, a girl lived in a crystal castle on a hill, she had lots of animal friends and was very happy…”Brief Book Summary: Two friends with different ideas of what makes the perfect story come together to realize they need each other’s ideas to make it the ultimate best! Friendship and team work are two ingredients for the perfec...

I thoroughly LOVED this story! It reminded me that it is okay and encouraged to use imagination just about anywhere for any reason! I read it with my 11 year old daughter for fun for a preview. Then, Kathy Ellen herself Skyped my class on Read Aloud day and read it to my kiddos while having them say the"Ta da!" and "Dun Dun dun!" parts with cute hand signals. She and the story are a new favorite of mine!

Cute story and gorgeous illustrations!

Two friends playing together figure out how to tell a tale that satisfies them both.

First-time author Davis and first-time illustrator Kaylani Juanita team up for a "Ta-da!" fun adventure that has "Dun-dun-duh!" a boy in it who enjoys putting a monkey-wrench in a young girl's imaginary playtime. No matter what obstacles or impediments the boy throws in her way, the girl rises up and turns the table on him. For example, the dragon who is breathing fire and wrecking the castle is turned into a kind dragon. The "pirate" who takes the girl and her dragon prisoner finds she casts a

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-CycleAn adorable story about two fantastic pretenders and their journey to a stronger friendship. In the book, two friends play pretend. The boy tries to wreck havoc but the girl is always there with her magic wand to save the day... until the boy gets bored and plays by himself instead. Great story about playing together and sharing ideas, not just playing how you want to play.The story itself is all over the place with dragons and magic shows, Atlanti...

I thought this captured the magic of children's imaginary play quite well. With regards to the story being 'all over the place' that, I thought was a perfect interpretation (or mirror) to how kid's imagination and play can sometimes land 'all over the place.' If you've ever eavesdropped on imaginary play (and I suspect this author has) what seems unorthodox to us, makes perfect sense to them. I loved it. It was a fun read that still makes me smile! I would recommend this book, especially if your...

Super cute story about two children and their imagination that will help kids understand the concepts of conflict (dun-dun-DUH!) and resolution (Ta-Da!) in storytelling. Loved it! Hope to use it in storytime someday!

Yay for imagination I guess but this was all over the place.

Two playmates or siblings try to out do each other's imaginations. Clever and fun.

While it's true that many readers love stories with happy endings and might like to have everything go smoothly throughout a story, sometimes there simply has to be some conflict in order for there to be much of a story. In this picture book, a young girl and a young boy are at cross purposes during part of the book since she loves princesses and gentle things while he loves fire-breathing dragons and action. Every time there is a conflict and the boy attempts to sabotage the girl's play with hi...

Thanks to #kidlitexchange for sharing a free copy of this book! Ta-Da!✨ Happy release week to this picture book! The main characters use the fun phrases ‘Ta-Da!’ and ‘Dun-Dun-Duh!’ to create a story. They quickly go back and forth to add more conflict and resolution to the story filled with magic and surprise! The characters use their imaginations and every day objects to create their stories. It is a nice way for the reader to learn story elements. ✨My kids loved saying the expressive phrases t...

A fun and interactive picture book that showcases a child’s imagination and will leave young readers laughing about the dueling nature of storytelling, lingering over the beautiful illustrations, and wondering where in their lives they might work together to create an epic story. Smart, playful, highly entertaining.

Marked dnf because that's the shelf tag that I use, usually, for books I don't rate. And maybe if I spent a lot more time with this I'd know better how I feel about it. But I can't. I don't have the energy or imagination for 1/1o of this book. I've never ever played the way these two do. Or made anywhere near the mess, or had anywhere near that many toys & kit. I just don't get it.Otoh, I do appreciate how they come to work together. And I do appreciate how it'll be a great book for the right au...

Fun story about the power of imagination. And also about how sometimes when everything goes your way, happily ever after is boring and rather it’s working together and taking turns that leads to happily ever after. Works extra well when 2 people read it aloud together.The pictures are also charming. I like how it blends the pretend and real bits together.

Oh Man!I think I understand what this book is about but to be honest it just left me feeling like I have adhd. Not a single thing stuck to my head. Too manny “Dun Dun Duhs” and “Ta-Da” for me to grasp everything.

Love the artwork! Really looking forward to seeing more from Kaylani Juanita.

I really thoroughly enjoyed this book, I think that for those that see it as all over the place do not remember the limitless fun imagination can hold. Kathy Ellen Davis truly captured what it's like being a child and having the freedom to imagine and create. Kaylani's illustration all so perfectly captured the magical experience that is childhood.

Love all the imagination, but the story needs a bit more cohesiveness.

We loved it! It reminded me very much of the 'Consequences' writing exercise we used to do at school. The narrative is shared between the boy and girl (with each having their own text colour). I love how they take turns with the positive and negative events in their shared imagination story (i.e. the dog-dragon comes and breathes fire on everything but a little magic turns him into a kind dragon).Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular...