Ideas are All Around by Philip Stead follows a writer in search of ideas for a story. The beautiful multimedia artwork includes photographs. He and his dog Wednesday roam the neighborhood checking in on favorite spots such as Frank the turtle’s log, and visiting old friends like Barbara. Seemingly random sightings of a train, a soup kitchen, birds and a blue horse all lead to thoughts that wander at the same gentle pace as the walking pair. Appropriately, given the title, this is a thoughtful book about the power of ideas and kindness. It’s a particularly good read aloud.