The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
by Dan Santat
Picture book · ages 4–8 · 620L (~3rd grade) · 40 pages · 2014
Why we'd hand it over
A Caldecott winner that genuinely earns it — the wordless passages and Santat's watercolor spreads do more work than the text, and the longing-to-connection arc lands with real emotional weight for kindergarteners and up.