Deirdre Gill

“Outside” by Deirdre Gill is a wonderful picture book for young readers up to the age of seven. With very few words, this book gracefully illustrates the imagination of a young boy who gets bored inside on a snowy day. He decides to embark upon a journey outside to build a snowman. As he is building his snowman, his imagination takes over and leads the reader on an adventure. This would be a good book for a read aloud to discuss the difference of reality and fantasy. I could see this story as a way to engage children with their outdoor experiences and spark their imaginations. Since the pages have few words, it would make a good bedtime story that could be reread to build sight word fluency. I would give this book a four out of five.… (mehr)

A young boy, bored indoors one winter day, emerges into a snowy world and experiences the pleasure of solitary imaginative play in this lovely picture-book from author/artist Deirdre Gill. Unable to convince his brother to join him at first, the boy creates a wondrous snow creature to play with, and together they construct the most marvelous snow castle. When a red dragon appears, the boy enjoys a magical flight over the snow-encrusted world, until he must return to earth. The story concludes as the boy's brother finally joins him outside, and together the two continue the dance of imagination and play.

As someone who lived in her own imaginative world as a girl - I had my own made-up country, with its own language and writing system - a girl who spent every moment not reading outdoors, Outside is a book that speaks quite strongly to me. I loved its messages about the pleasures of both solitary and group play, and the importance of imagination. The text is spare but effective, and the artwork, done in oil, just beautiful, capturing the enchantment of a wintry world. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about the imaginative lives of children, about the joy of playing outside, and about the beauties of winter.… (mehr)