“The inspiration for this book came to me one afternoon as I watched my son, Hudson, playing with his toy bus. I was trying to keep pace with his three-year-old mind as he got deeper and deeper into a fantasy involving nothing more than a yellow plastic box and armless figurines. At least that’s what I saw. He saw frantic commuters rushing to catch the 77 local bus to Australia. He jumped in place, mouth open and slapping his knees, joyously reacting to a world I couldn’t see, but one powerfully present for him...”. – Jordan Matter

Photo: “Dancers Among Us”: Macys, NYC – Annmaria Mazzini. (Photo by Jordan Matter)

A soldier from the South Korean army special forces breaks stone plates with her head during a martial arts demonstration for Memorial Day at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 6, 2016.(Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)

Aspiring models wait for their turn to be judged during auditions for the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India, June 30, 2016. (Photo by Shailesh Andrade/Reuters)

Jill Olsen (R) has her picture taken inside a giant cocoon, from the “Falling Skies” TV series, during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention in San Diego, California July 24, 2014. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Reuters)

People take pictures of huge waves crash on the Viavelez seafront in the northern Spanish region of Asturias January 2, 2016. (Photo by Eloy Alonso/Reuters)

A workman walks past a large mural on the side of a building during the “Sand Sea & Spray” Urban Art Festival in Blackpool, north west England on July 11, 2015. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

This picture taken on February 16, 2017 in Fangshan village in China's coastal province Fujians, shows a villager performing the “eating flowers” ritual. Villagers in eastern China have a unique way of washing away the taint of evil spirits – by bathing in a shower of scorching sparks. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)

A pilgrim holds up the cross after it was thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea, on the southeast resort of Ayia Napa, Cyprus, Friday, January 6, 2023. By tradition, a crucifix is cast into the waters of a lake or river, and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy through the year. (Photo by Petros Karadjias/AP Photo)