Outside In by Deborah Underwood illustrated by Cindy Derby

"Outside sings to us with chirps and rustles and tap-taps on the roof. 

It beckons with smells: sunbaked, fresh, and mysterious."

A small girl lives inside but the outside is all around her. Outside can be seen through a car window, a house window. Outside comes inside too. Our clothes were once "puffs of cotton" and the chair you are sitting on was once a tree. Each day outside shows the passing of time from night when we should rest through to a morning sunrise when it is time to begin our day again. Little critters that live outside sometimes sneak inside - a spider, a snail and a boxelder bug.

Image Source American Pest

The art in this book is enchanting. You can see how it was developed in this post at Seven Impossible Things. We talk about the slow food movement. I would like to suggest this book should be part of the slow book movement. I do not mean this book has a slow plot (as in boring or laborious) I mean this is a book to read s l o w l y and a book where you need to linger over every page and each word. This book also falls into the category of quiet books which I have mentioned previously.

I do love the books by Deborah Underwood. Here is a video where you can see Deborah and Cindy talking about their book. Kirkus call this book "a love letter to nature". Cindy Derby's art is very special. 

Outside In is a beguiling, thought-provoking book that thinks outside the box. BookPage

Lushness without sweetness—wild, darkly romantic, and exquisite. Kirkus Star review

Though this book has layers of meaning, a kid will understand instantly what the author is trying to say. The outside wants to play with you. Best that you meet it halfway. Elizabeth Bird SLJ