"Once we were part of Outside and Outside was part of us," states a young white girl walking through a wooded area. "Now sometimes even when we're outside... / we're inside." The two double-page spreads accompanying this text show two perspectives of the girl riding in a car through the same wooded area. As she enters her home, she continues to talk about the ways the outside always is there, even when we're inside, with "flashes at the window" and "chirps and rustles and tap-taps on the roof." Always, the outside beckons with smells and sounds and sights. The simplicity and the rhythm of the narrative will encourage children to think of all the ways they are (or could be) aware of the outdoors, whether they're outside or inside, in this timely and timeless story. The watercolor illustrations are lush and evocative, and include lines created with dried flower stems and cotton thread soaked in ink, bring the outside right into the inside pages of the book. (Ages 3-8)

A 2020 Caldecott Honor Book

From the New York Times best-selling author behind The Quiet Book comes a mindful contemplation on the many ways nature affects our everyday lives, even when we're stuck inside. Five starred reviews!

Perfect for fans of Joyce Sidman and Julie Fogliano, Outside In reminds emerging readers of the ways nature creates and touches our lives in homes, apartments, and cars, and is the perfect homeschooling tool to reflect on the world's connectedness.

Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. This thought-provoking picture book poetically underscores our powerful and enduring connection with nature, not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors.
Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made and the many ways Outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a much greater universe. Emotive illustrations evoke the beauty, simplicity, and wonder that await us all . . . outside.