By Eric Pinder, Marc Brown (illustrator)
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 32 pages
What would happen if all the animals came inside? All the animals–like elephants, lions and monkeys. That is the question author Eric Pinder and illustrator Marc Brown explore in the beautifully illustrated If All the Animals Came Inside children’s picture book.
While initially, the dreamy main character of the book imagines his family and pets being frightened, he enjoys the idea of riding elephants, playing hide and seek with jungle animals, sharing a tub with an octopus and hanging out in a kangaroo’s pouch. As this animal filled dream continues though, the poor boy starts to get frustrated when rhinos hog popcorn when watching TV, and when there’s no more room in his bed to sleep since all the animals hog the covers. Eventually, he decides that the pets and family he has are enough to keep him happy.
If All the Animals Came Inside is a fun and wacky book with mixed-media collage illustrations jumping from the page. Marc Brown, creator of the Aurthur series helps the book come to life, while Pinder’s imaginative story draws kids in.
Children are sure to love the kookie ideas the boy dreams up with animals sharing his daily activities. But more importantly, the idea of appreciating what you have is evident by the end of the book.
Reviewed by Sophie Sestero
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