Lift

Iris just loves being the one in her small family who pushes the elevator button. But one day, her little brother reaches out and pushes it before her and her parents think it's delightful! She doesn't. She mad. When her brother does it again, she's VERY mad and soon pushes all the buttons and the elevator breaks down. She finds the elevator button in the trash and tapes it to her wall, It becomes a magical doorway to other worlds. She begins to relax, becoming friendlier to her younger brother. She even tries to give him a "lift". This is a way to look at the evolving relationship between siblings, from rivalry to friendship, knowing it might change again, but always with a grain of love. Illustrator Santat and writer Le work well together, with limited words, always anticipating kids who are going to "read" the pictures more than words. The illustrations allow for ample interpretations and it's fun to jump from picture to picture to see what's going to happen next. The story is charming.

My grandchildren, especially my 4 yr old granddaughter, love this book. It's a little abstract conveying the story as much or more in pictures than in words but despite - or because of - that, they seem to get immersed in it. I got a video from my son recently showing his daughter reciting the story from memory while holding a random catalog in her hands. If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

This book was recommended by our child's teacher during the holiday break for them to use for class this new year. Our child's very first graphic novel. It's simple & easy to understand especially for beginners. I like how they discuss the story as a class and they're working on making their own graphic novel as well. The characters, setting, and plot of the story is suitable for graphic novel beginning readers. I highly recommend this book! A++++

Hands down one of the best picture books to be published in 2020 - a masterpiece from Dan Santat and Mihn Le - doesn’t it just beg to be read and shared? #pernillerecommends

Creativity. Imagination. Siblings. Storytelling at its finest by author and illustrator. Can not wait to get back into my classroom and share this one with students.

I really loved this story and enjoyed sharing with the students at my school in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The student loved the framed graphic picture book and the story was relatable to the children; sibling rivalry and adoration. It actually won our vote in Ptown as the Mock Caldecott Book of 2021!

I LOVE picture books that break free of traditional picture book form. When I was little, I also LOVED pushing elevator buttons (who doesn't?). This story is emotional, creative, real, and a true escape from reality. Minh Le and Dan Santat are an incredible duo. Buy this book with "Drawn Together" and your eyes and mind will be double dazzled! True picture book gems!

Another great book from this author. Warm, touching and relatable for all ages.