Outside In

K-Gr 3–In this exquisite tale, the wonders of nature are revealed to be all around us if we just take the time to notice and appreciate them. Spare, lyrical text offers a fable-like depth of insight: “Once we were part of Outside and Outside was part of us. There was nothing between us. Now, sometimes even when we’re outside… we’re inside.” Derby’s luminous watercolor illustrations evocatively show this disconnection: A little girl, buckled into a car seat, seems unaware of the scenery passing by her. “Outside” is an ebullient character, and tries to capture the child’s attention by singing to her with “chirps and rustles and tap-taps on the roof,” and with “slow magic tricks” like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. Outside also makes its way inside, as seen in the nourishing berries on the kitchen counter, on the cotton T-shirt the child wears, and as a morning sunlight–streaming natural alarm clock. Ever patient, Outside waits and whispers, “I miss you,” until the little girl rediscovers the world outside her window.