There are three other You Choose books now. You Choose in Space follows the original format but places everything in an extra-terrestrial setting. You Choose Your Dreams stimulates imaginations by asking how it would feel to be gigantic or tiny or a wild animal or made of cheese. And the sequential nature of You Choose Fairy Tales increases the storytelling possibilities. You Choose Your Dreams is an incredible spur to the imagination and creativity, building confidence in storytelling. This highly inventive and interactive book allows children to tell their own stories, combining new elements each time. Of course, the pictures provide numerous possibilities for additional things to discuss, too. ‘How would it feel to have a wizard as a relative?’ ‘Would you rather live in a cave or a treehouse?’ ‘If you had a pet dragon, what name would you give it?’ ‘What kind of person would wear pointy shoes like those?’

You could choose things for each other, or for someone you both know, or for an imaginary character like a pirate or a princess. You Choose is great fun to peruse by yourself but it works particularly well as a book to be shared. That’s because it’s impossible to look at the book with another person and not have a conversation about the pictures. Perhaps because we tend to talk more freely when looking at something else rather than each other, we’ve often been told how helpful the book is for speech development, increasing vocabulary, enhancing communication skills and as a bonding tool. Here are some ways it has been enjoyed, as related to us over the years. Lots of these ideas have come directly from children. You could play a game where you can only choose things beginning with a particular letter, the first letter of your name for example. Or maybe the chosen things must all have a predominant colour. You could play ‘I Spy’ or counting games with the book. ‘How many birds can you see on the “Pets” spread?’ ‘How many four-wheeled vehicles are there on the “Transport” spread?’ ‘How many vegetables can you spot in the “Food” spread?’ We’ve also heard from quite a few teachers how the book has been utilised to help teach basic maths or linked in with geography (matching the various areas on the ‘Where would you go?’ spread to actual locations), history (finding out when the old-fashioned items on the ‘Shoes and Hats’ spread would have been worn) and art (everyone contributing an image to create a large ‘You Choose’-type wall display, for example).Imagine exploring the depths of the ocean, travelling into the past or the future - YOU CHOOSE YOUR DREAMS and your own wild and wonderful adventure!