Author: Deborah Underwood
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2020
Hardcover, 40 Page Picture Book
This book is a thoughtful play between Inside and Outside, and on the many ways nature affects our everyday lives, even when we are inside bound. It reminds us all of the simplicity and wonder that waits for us outside.
This engaging Caldecott Honor 2021 award winning book is extremely simple in word and is an interplay between emotive language and striking illustrations. It reminds the reader that the natural world is very much a part of indoor life. The connection with abundant nature outdoors is evident in what we wear, the furniture we sit upon, the water that runs through our pipes, and the space between the darkness and light. The illustrations are bold, modern, colorful and compelling. As children we long to spend time outside, and this book emphasizes that when outside calls we can’t resist.
I like the message that the connections between what we, as humans need indoors, is supplied by what the outdoors has to offer. Even as an adult I have a deep need for nature, outdoors, and wildlife, and the infinite and intricate power of ecosystems and our place in them. The words are simple enough for a small child to understand, yet compelling enough to stir emotions in adults alike. The illustrations are very stylized and sometimes too bold in color for the message on the page, but overall this book is a wonderful start for a child’s understanding of ecology and that everything we have comes from somewhere ….. outside.
Outside In by Deborah Underwood gets 4.5 stars from this reviewer.