What would you do with a pair of shoes?

Presented by Caldecott Award-winning authors
A witty play and
Fresh ideas that overturn conventional wisdom

Freedom of thought and the joy of play
A full picture book

What can you do with a pair of shoes? You may tilt your head, but the boy in the picture book “What Would You Do with a Pair of Shoes?” threatens that he can put it on his ear and eat it with jam on it. When asked, “What do you want to do with the chair?”, he says he will go on a trip to the moon as if it were an airplane or a train. At this time, the girl playing with me screams. “Stop talking nonsense!” This book, which is so strange, fun, and fresh as to be strange, 《What Would You Do with a Pair of Shoes?》 is a picture book that was first published in 1955 and has been loved by readers ever since. In the 1950s in the United States, uniformity and conformism spread throughout society, emphasizing the voice of the group rather than the voice of the individual. In this atmosphere, “What Do You Want to Do with a Pair of Shoes?” captures the freedom of thought and the joy of play. Published. Beatrice Schenck de Regnies' writing, which is simple, concise, rhythmical, and accurately expresses the world of children's imagination, and Maurice Sendak's lively drawings, create an exquisite harmony to create a delightful work. This book, made even more beautiful by adding coloring when Maurice Sendak was alive, stimulates our eyes and thoughts with a fresh perspective on things and fresh ideas that overturn conventional wisdom.

A warning about authoritarian education that shines beyond humor and wit.
The power of play as a driving force for creative growth

The girl and boy, who were looking at each other with expressions wondering what to do for fun, put on adult clothes, stilettos, hats, and umbrellas and have fun playing. The girl is dumbfounded by the boy's humorous actions and thoughts, such as wearing earrings with shoes and putting jam on shoes to eat, and scolds them by saying, 'Shoes are something you wear on your feet.' The two children engage in exciting imaginary play with chairs, hats, cups, and brooms, and each time the girl tries to correct the boy's thoughts as if she were an adult, sometimes sarcastic and sometimes teaching him. The two children are of similar height and body size in the picture, but while the girl is wearing her clothes comfortably as if she were wearing her own clothes, the boy is wearing clothes bigger than himself like a scarecrow. Beyond the imaginary play of two children bickering but having fun, the author seems to be criticizing authoritarian education that fails to accept other people's open thoughts and imaginations and instead seeks to correct their thoughts.
“Children grow through play.” Play liberates children's bodies and minds from tension and leads them to a new world that they had not thought of in their daily lives. The girl in the book slips and drops one of her shoes. She asks the girl a mischievous question after the boy takes one of her shoes. She said, “What do you want to do with a pair of shoes?” This book tells us that children's imagination and novel ideas are born in moments when the body and mind are free, and that these moments are important and enjoyable moments of growth through play. The two Caldecott Award-winning authors conveyed these deep stories in a light and cheerful way with their deep perspective and affection for children.
If Surrealist painter René Magritte's <This is not a pipe (Ceci n'est pas une pipe)> is a work of art that calls for the betrayal of image and language and evokes philosophical thought, then "What Would You Do with a Pair of Shoes?" is an image. It can be said to be a picture book that subverts thinking and arouses imagination. It proves that picture books are living art and will lead readers to a world of free imagination.