Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein & Matthias Aregui is a distinctive picture book.  Most picture books are 32 pages and include text.  This book is 176 pages  of illustrations featuring no text.

“Everyone knows that a tiny acorn grows into a mighty oak and a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. But in this clever, visually enchanting volume, it’s also true that a cow can result in both a bottle of milk and a painting of a cow, and an ape in a jungle may become an urban King Kong. Just as day turns into night and back again, a many-tiered cake is both created and eaten down to a single piece.”

Why should you read this book?
It’s a springboard for conversations.  Cautionary – the slingshot illustration followed by a broken window.  Historical – the candle, followed by the gas lamp, followed by the electric lamp.  Environmental – Instead of always having pristine art materials… opening a fresh box of colored pencils and using them until they are nubs.