Love Was Inside
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
From a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator comes a picture book to celebrate and remember the days we spent inside—the joys and the hardships, the bravery and the resilience, but most of all the love.
This book, inspired by kids who found ways to stay connected to the people they love during the pandemic, is about what an imaginative, curious and loving little girl did when her world was turned inside out.
The girl played inside, she learned inside, she waited inside. She talked on the phone to her Nan inside. Her days and nights were all inside, and she would think about what she missed outside--the running, cheering, splashing, hugging, and of course her Nan.
Finally, when the girl could go outside, she was happy to be there--to hug her Nan, see her friends, and even climb a tree. But she had changed inside, and she knew she would always remember the small things and the big things that made that time special.
Here is a picture book that will help young children remember, process, and resolve the feelings they had during the pandemic. Includes prompts to help readers make their own inside story book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A paper-white child with two long black pigtails looks back on a moment when "everyone was inside." The scenario unfurls with fitting details: "Who was inside? I was inside. I was inside my room with a clock and my dog and a picture of Nan." "Inside" also refers to emotional states: "There were days I felt sad inside," the narrator says, curled up in a chair while weary parents seem to take in news in another room. But the child also feels resilience and love through it all, and confident in the arrival of a joyful day when "everyone would be outside." Joyner (Bunny Figures It Out) punctuates slice-of-life b&w drawings with bright hues that echo those of the protagonist's bedroom quilt; blocks of color that highlight a class meeting online and a cityscape at night, for example, nod to the blanket's pattern. The Covid-19 pandemic is never specifically referenced, and Joyner is careful when using verb tenses—victory is never declared. Deeply empathic and upbeat, this picture book should provide comfort, no matter what the latest news is, with a final page that prompts readers to think about their own "inside" stories. Ages 4–8.
