Review of: Outside Inside by Cindy Helms

Genre: Children’s

Outside Inside is the story of a bird who goes looking for his friends one morning.  When he can’t find them, he wonders where on earth they could be, and what they might be doing without him.  Opposites and colorful illustrations liven up the story as the bird is happily surprised when he does find his friend.

This is a great book for bridging that precarious childhood gap between reading board books and full blown picture books with lengthy stories.  The illustrations are much more in depth that one would expect for a baby, but the story itself is simple enough that even the youngest of children could sit through it.

While there are words, the majority of the story is told in the illustrations.  Without  the illustrations, the words are just a constant reiteration of the outside vs. inside relationship.  The illustrations themselves are clever and multi-faceted, although I doubt whether a preschooler or younger would necessarily pick up on all the undertones.  Still, who complains about something that makes a children’s book more enjoyable to read as an adult?!  Not I…

My only complaint/suggestion, is that I would love to see a sturdier version so that the medium matches the between-stages vibe of the story.  I’m not saying to make it into a board book, just use some stiffer paper products that will stand up to the rougher attentions of toddlers and preschoolers.

Overall, Outside, Inside was a cute, original story about waiting for friends and surprises.

We really liked it: 4 out of 5 stars