The book I am looking for is called Imagine That and I remember reading it as a child in the 1980’s. I believe the book was an award winner, but I am not sure what award it won. The book gives prompts and then the child and parent create their own story using imagination. I think the book was in black and white and may have green on the cover. I think one of the prompts is about being in a hot air balloon and asks what do you see. There may be a photo of a hot air balloon and patchwork looking land beneath it. I do not remember the author and have been searching for it for years now. I sure hope you can find it as I would love to buy it for my nieces and nephews.
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
Maybe this one?
Imagine that !!! : exploring make-believe / by Joyce Strauss ; illustrated by Jennifer Barrett. Author. Strauss, Joyce, 1936-. Other Authors. Plecas, Jennifer, (ill.) Published. New York, N.Y. : Human Sciences Press, c1984. Physical Description. [32] p. : ill. ; 24 cm. Subjects. Imagination — Problems, exercises, etc — Juvenile literature.
Maybe Imagine That!!! Exploring Make-Believe by Joyce Strauss. Description is “Describes a variety of situations and includes questions intended to stimulate the imagination.”
There is a much more recent book, “You Choose”, which had a sequel called “Just Imagine” (now renamed “You Choose Your Dreams”). It has the hot air balloon scene as the first double-page spread. It’s by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt and you can see inside it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Imagine-Pippa-Goodhart/dp/0552563560
I think it’s probably NOT the book you want as it was published in 2004, but it’s still in print and your nieces and nephews might like it, as it’s clearly the same idea. My children did.