We Can Play Anything!

by Marit Tornqvist, Unknown Author

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Plays

28 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple celebration of imaginative play with vibrant, gorgeous illustrations. Törnqvist’s naturalistic and rainbow-hued paintings mix gouache, ink, watercolor, colored pencils, pastels, and acrylic colors to show us a highly satisfactory playdate. “Do you want to play at my house?” asks the young boy with brown skin and black hair, pointing at a cozy red cottage in the distance. “You can stay and play all day. We can play anything!” His companion, a little blond girl agrees and off they go, to build a bear train out of cardboard boxes, stuffed with teddies. Next, they’ll read with the story snake (a patchwork creation whose enormous loops fill the entire page), roll out a giant cookie that covers the floor, and climb up a “rainbow-bird tree” to count 20 birds. The whole day will be a wonderful mix of the prosaic and the fantastic, leading to a show: “I’ll be the wolf with the sharp teeth. But I promise not to eat you, because I like you,” before ending with a sleepover in a “cosy animal hotel”, with the two kids under blankets and surrounded by the day’s stuffie playmates, all tucked into their own little beds and boxes. There’s no narrative tension, character development, or plot, just a day of  joyful, creative play, with pages full of wholesome activities that readers may want to reproduce. The blurring of lines between what’s real and what’s imaginary could spark some simple but interesting conversations between young children and adult readers. The book has been translated from its original Dutch and the text reads smoothly. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[DALYN MILLER]

We Can Play Anything! is a bright and imaginative picture book that celebrates the limitless creativity of childhood play. Marit Tornqvist creates a simple yet engaging narrative that encourages children to explore, invent, and transform the world around them through imagination.

One of the most appealing aspects of the book is its open-ended approach to play. Rather than guiding children toward a fixed storyline, it invites them into a space where anything is possible. This creates a sense of freedom that young readers can easily connect with.

The visual storytelling is equally important, with illustrations that support the idea of movement, curiosity, and discovery. The simplicity of the format works in its favor, making the book accessible for very young readers while still feeling engaging and expressive.

Overall, We Can Play Anything! is a warm and uplifting picture book that encourages creativity, imagination, and joyful exploration. It is a lovely addition to early childhood reading that supports both independent and shared reading experiences.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this elegantly illustrated picture book [3.5 for me!] a young boy invites another child to play at his house. She is quick to accept, and even though some of their games such as riding an imaginary train made from connected boxes are familiar, others are not. The text and artwork, created with gouache, ink, watercolor, colored pencils, pastels, and acrylics, show them climbing in the forest to greet the owls and cutting out forms for cookies in order to "bake a zoo of cookies that neigh and quack!" (unpaged). After a very busy day, they sleep in a "cosy animal hotel," with rows of small beds shelter several small animals. The invitation is irresistible. They really can play anything!

[Bookworm4Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy invites another child over to his house to play. The illustrations are simple with a sweet message about friendship. It was fun seeing all the different ways the children played together.