Outside In

This almost meditative book invites readers to step back and examine the natural world.

In terms of a plot, this book is very slim. It's basically just a reminder to step outside every once in a while, given that so much of our day-to-day involves being indoors.

Where the book really shines is the

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illustrations. They are almost impressionistic, with a soft edge to them. The pictures of nature are striking and/or adorable, whether its a monarch butterfly emerging from its chrysalis or a deer standing on the border of a wooded area.

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As the simple but poetic narrative speaks of the beauty and lure of the outside, which waits for us, tempting us to return to it, the lovely artwork in Outside In captures all of the tricks outside plays, in order to capture our attention. The light and shadows coming in our windows, the scents and

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sights, everything trying to get us to return, and eventually, we do...

On my first read of Outside In, I found myself concentrating on the artwork of illustrator Cindy Derby, which is perhaps not surprising, considering that this title was one of four Caldecott Honor books chosen this year (2021), along with Zetta Elliott and Noa Denmon's A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart, Cozbi A. Cabrera's Me & Mama, and Irene Latham, Karim Shamsi-Basha and Yuko Shimizu's The Cat Man of Aleppo. These illustrations, created using watercolor and powdered graphite, with some lines being made using flower stems and thread soaked in ink, are beautiful, with a lovely color palette, and an expressive, sometimes chaotic composition, one which suggests a world always in motion. I enjoyed these images, and I appreciated the ideas in Deborah Underwood's text, but it was only on my second read that I really appreciated the deeper meaning here. The narrative begins: "Once we were part of Outside, and Outside was part of us. There was nothing between us." It goes on to describe all the ways we have found to separate ourselves from Outside, from nature, and all the ways in which Outside calls to us, to renew our connection. This is not just a call to spend more time outdoors, it is a call to return to an earlier state of being, as humans, a state of being in which we too were part of nature, rather than standing outside of it, and visiting it upon occasion. How superbly ironic that Outside In was published in April of 2020, as the whole world was hunkering down inside. Although this serendipitous timing could not have been planned, it does make the book all the more powerful, the more one ponders it! Recommended to picture-book readers looking for subtler, more philosophical tales, ones which celebrate our connection to the natural world around us.

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Beautifully illustrated, creative concept and story.

The artwork is beautiful and the sentiment is [chef’s kiss], but this wistful picture book is definitely speaking to an adult rather than a child. It was a lovely moment of zen for this nature-loving aunt.

This book draws the reader in with the incredibly beautiful water color artistry. When reading it, I thought of how computers have made us live inside more than pre- technology. When having lunch with my daughter, I am usually telling her to put down the phone and spend time together.

The

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illustrations and text call for the reader to walk with the young girl and her cat as they appreciate nature and the beauty of outside. The statement "We're Inside; We forget Outside is there." struck me as so very true.

Making a point that we can appreciate what is outside by merely noticing the sun shadows on the walls, and the butterflies that we see flitting on the trees near our room, and the reminder that observing outside when we are inside can still call us to appreciate nature and the chirps of birds and the tap-taps on windows.

This is a book that calls for relaxation and a reminder to be gentle and appreciate our surroundings. All we need to do is open our eyes, our emotions and our soul to the beauty of nature. And, the book reminds us that "Outside feeds us." Noticing a bug on the glass pane or a bug that found its way inside reminds us that the outside will come to us even if we don't go outside to enjoy it.

This book is soulfully lovely. I checked it out from the library, but I will be sure to purchase a copy to read on busy days that need calmness and solace.

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The story about how the natural world is a part of our lives is good, but really, I’m here for the art.