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Outside, Inside
From Caldecott honoree LeUyen Pham, Outside, Inside is a moving picture book celebrating essential workers and the community coming together to face the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed.
Everybody who was outside . . .
. . . went inside.
Outside, it was quieter, wilder, and different. Inside, we laughed, we cried, and we grew.
We remembered to protect the ones we love and love the ones who protect us.
While the world changed outside, we became stronger on the inside and believed that someday soon spring would come again.
Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed.
Everybody who was outside . . .
. . . went inside.
Outside, it was quieter, wilder, and different. Inside, we laughed, we cried, and we grew.
We remembered to protect the ones we love and love the ones who protect us.
While the world changed outside, we became stronger on the inside and believed that someday soon spring would come again.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
14 people are currently reading
1654 people want to read
About the author
LeUyen Pham
159 books260 followersLeUyen Pham is the illustrator of many books for children, including God’s Dream by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams, The Princess in Black series and Aunt Mary’s Rose by Douglas Wood. LeUyen Pham lives in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 519 reviews
October 16, 2020
I'm not crying, you're crying... Okay we're both crying... With her signature gorgeous and affirming style that reflects her deep, empathetic understanding of young readers, LeUyen Pham uses the concepts of inside/outside to help offer support, care, and insight into the events of the past year. "Outside the world kept growing. Inside, we kept growing too." This is an absolutely necessary book to add to our collections.
March 5, 2021
4.5 STARS
This is a beautiful picture book and I think it is an important one and, on the whole, succeeds in the monumental task of capturing the time when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
It's a very interesting experience reading it now, in early March of 2021, nearly one year after the lockdowns began. The book was written in June 2020 with a copyright date of 2021. I feel that the book succeeds well in terms of showing what happened with the lockdown... how almost everyone had to go inside... how the world changed outside while we changed inside (both inside our homes and inside our hearts)... how some people had to stay outside (the heroic essential workers, to whom the book is dedicated)...the vulnerable people who were most at risk... the challenges faced by work-at-home (or no work at all), school-at-home, etc. I think some of this is going to resonate with young children (I especially love how the little black cat keeps making appearances) but some of it is probably going to go over their heads (for example, the spread in which Pham illustrates some of the real life people who were in the most danger during this time, some of whom survived and some of whom succumbed to the virus--as an adult, I guessed that from the faded nature of some of the figures, but I'm not sure kids will pick up on that). A few of the spreads are a little bit too busy, and while I appreciate what Pham is trying to convey (for example, the scene in the hospital), the details only really came together for me when I read the author's note. (Be sure to read the author's note!)
This brings me to another point, which is that some of this will likely be too heavy for sensitive young readers (the first responders and hospital scenes, in particular) especially because the book is out right now, when the pandemic is not a distant memory but still an ongoing challenge. Pham couldn't, in June 2020, know exactly how long this was going to last and, in some ways, it feels rather premature reading it now. The sunny spring in the final spread, where friends closely socialize and a granddaughter hugs her grandmother, is still not a reality for everyone—though perhaps all the more reason to gaze at that beautiful spread and feel hopeful and uplifted. Yet, in other ways, the book already feels like history...that celebration of everyone coming together and the "we're in it together" feeling that had already started to wane a bit in June 2020 now feels so long ago, replaced as it has been in many cases by burnout and the politics. Perhaps this is all the more reason to read this book right now, and remember how it felt when we did feel we were all in it together.
These points are not a criticism of Pham's work, but simply an observation of reading a book at this point in time, when it is at once a historical snapshot as well as a hopeful forecast for the future. Pham does a wonderful job of capturing so much of this monumental time in history, but, as she said in her author's note, it was an impossible task to capture everything:
"My career has been devoted to drawing the world as I would like it to be, my version of a happy world. This is the first time that I have cataloged the world as it is. It is a recording of the daily acts of kindness and humanity made by everyday people. And there was so much happening, so many good deeds, that I simply couldn't find space in these pages to record it all. This book is a time capsule of our moment in history, when the world came together to do the right thing."
This is a beautiful picture book and I think it is an important one and, on the whole, succeeds in the monumental task of capturing the time when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
It's a very interesting experience reading it now, in early March of 2021, nearly one year after the lockdowns began. The book was written in June 2020 with a copyright date of 2021. I feel that the book succeeds well in terms of showing what happened with the lockdown... how almost everyone had to go inside... how the world changed outside while we changed inside (both inside our homes and inside our hearts)... how some people had to stay outside (the heroic essential workers, to whom the book is dedicated)...the vulnerable people who were most at risk... the challenges faced by work-at-home (or no work at all), school-at-home, etc. I think some of this is going to resonate with young children (I especially love how the little black cat keeps making appearances) but some of it is probably going to go over their heads (for example, the spread in which Pham illustrates some of the real life people who were in the most danger during this time, some of whom survived and some of whom succumbed to the virus--as an adult, I guessed that from the faded nature of some of the figures, but I'm not sure kids will pick up on that). A few of the spreads are a little bit too busy, and while I appreciate what Pham is trying to convey (for example, the scene in the hospital), the details only really came together for me when I read the author's note. (Be sure to read the author's note!)
This brings me to another point, which is that some of this will likely be too heavy for sensitive young readers (the first responders and hospital scenes, in particular) especially because the book is out right now, when the pandemic is not a distant memory but still an ongoing challenge. Pham couldn't, in June 2020, know exactly how long this was going to last and, in some ways, it feels rather premature reading it now. The sunny spring in the final spread, where friends closely socialize and a granddaughter hugs her grandmother, is still not a reality for everyone—though perhaps all the more reason to gaze at that beautiful spread and feel hopeful and uplifted. Yet, in other ways, the book already feels like history...that celebration of everyone coming together and the "we're in it together" feeling that had already started to wane a bit in June 2020 now feels so long ago, replaced as it has been in many cases by burnout and the politics. Perhaps this is all the more reason to read this book right now, and remember how it felt when we did feel we were all in it together.
These points are not a criticism of Pham's work, but simply an observation of reading a book at this point in time, when it is at once a historical snapshot as well as a hopeful forecast for the future. Pham does a wonderful job of capturing so much of this monumental time in history, but, as she said in her author's note, it was an impossible task to capture everything:
"My career has been devoted to drawing the world as I would like it to be, my version of a happy world. This is the first time that I have cataloged the world as it is. It is a recording of the daily acts of kindness and humanity made by everyday people. And there was so much happening, so many good deeds, that I simply couldn't find space in these pages to record it all. This book is a time capsule of our moment in history, when the world came together to do the right thing."
February 23, 2021
Amazing. I read And the People Stayed Home and was eh on it but this one is SO much better for a COVID-19 related book for kids. Beautiful artwork and prose, covers the fact that not everyone could stay home, and that the staying at home experience was different for everyone. 10/10.
February 12, 2021
I wasn't sure I wanted to read about the Covid-19 pandemic, but a review of this book had me tearing up, so I decided to pick it up and I'm very glad I did.
LeUyen Pham's spare prose and evocative colourful illustrations capture the big emotions of living through the Covid-19 pandemic, without ever directly naming it. Each vignette says so much - like the children playing a board game, an adult in the background with a worried expression and a bunch of internet tabs open to the news. The characters drawn are inspired by real people - from news stories, the author's friends and family - creating a sort of time capsule of emotions and moments of the past year.
LeUyen Pham's spare prose and evocative colourful illustrations capture the big emotions of living through the Covid-19 pandemic, without ever directly naming it. Each vignette says so much - like the children playing a board game, an adult in the background with a worried expression and a bunch of internet tabs open to the news. The characters drawn are inspired by real people - from news stories, the author's friends and family - creating a sort of time capsule of emotions and moments of the past year.
February 17, 2021
Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham is an absolutely gorgeous picture book that addresses life during this pandemic. It contrasts the busy streets of before with the silent streets now, acknowledges both the challenges of staying home and inside and the inability of some to stay safely home, with a mostly urban and suburban focus, with scenery that feels almost universal and therefore more widely relatable. The illustrations are beautiful, pleasing to the eyes, detailed, and diversely represented. The tender afterword from the author talks about how many of the vignettes on each page were inspired by real photography from the pandemic that she had seen, and that certainly has contributed to the authenticity of the art. One lovely line from Outside, Inside is from a four page spread: "On the outside, we are all different. / But on the inside, we are all the same." Highly recommended for any adults with children in your lives, as a great conversation starter and reassurance for kids dealing with just as much uncertainty and anxiety right now as we adults are. And if you don't have kids in your lives, it's beautiful and worth a relaxing read anyway. We are in this together.
March 6, 2021
I'm curious why the average rating isn't higher. This book is absolutely lovely! I opened immediately between the library hold shelves and teared up while reading. Then when I turned around to return, I told the circulation clerk that she should read Outside, Inside if she has a minute. I know she has more than several minutes today, and I'm fairly certain that she has no plans to follow my wise advice.
On an interesting note, I have lived on a wooded creek with walking trail for eight years. Not until the pandemic did ever I actually witness someone on the trail. So many families and dogs! Very cute.
On an interesting note, I have lived on a wooded creek with walking trail for eight years. Not until the pandemic did ever I actually witness someone on the trail. So many families and dogs! Very cute.
March 23, 2021
A beautiful testimony to what the first few months of pandemic life were like, and the sacrifices made by so many healthcare and essential workers. Will be a beneficial addition to school libraries to give kids the understanding and processing of different perspectives and understanding why we were all asked to do what we did for the greater good during the Covid-19 pandemic.
January 22, 2022
A beautifully illustrated and moving children's story about how the world changed during the pandemic. Touches on grief, loneliness, togetherness and the bravery of front line workers all while ending on an uplifting and positive note. Great for anyone looking to help children understand the world we're living in right now!
January 19, 2021
Probably the best kid's book to come out of the pandemic. I love how it shows the logic behind social distancing and locking down. There are so many ignorant narcissists who get triggered at the thought of being the slightest bit inconvenienced.
June 21, 2021
Relive the year that some would like to forget in this picture book. With bright illustrations, author LeUyen Pham is able to see the good in all of us.
July 12, 2021
A beautiful exploration of what life during the COVID-19 pandemic and will help children process all that has happened in the past year and a half by easing into the conversation through the gentle artwork and quiet text.
June 21, 2023
A precious children’s book that serves as a time capsule for 2020. It describes how life looked very different for some, yet most people came together for the common good.
April 15, 2021
A sweet and calming story explaining the journey the world has gone through with COVID pandemic. The illustrations are beautiful, colorful and endearing. Each page has much to look at and explore. The illustrations are diverse and convey a wonderful sense of community.
Find Outside, Inside at the Westminster Public Library today!
And if you are in search of new books to read, try our services, What Do I Read Next. Our library staff are standing by to create a personalized recommendation list for you!
Find Outside, Inside at the Westminster Public Library today!
And if you are in search of new books to read, try our services, What Do I Read Next. Our library staff are standing by to create a personalized recommendation list for you!
February 25, 2021
Richie’s Picks: OUTSIDE, INSIDE by LeUyen Pham, Roaring Brook, January 2021, 48p., ISBN: 978-1-250-79835-0
“When I was a young girl
Well, I had me a cowboy
He weren’t much to look at
Just a free ramblin’ man
But that was a long time
And no matter how I tried
Those years just flow by
Like a broken down dam”
--”Angel From Montgomery,” written by John Prine, who died last year of COVID
How has the pandemic affected you? What has your life been like?
Bob was a retired attorney who once argued a couple of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was my partner’s dad. He died from the COVID virus. There are families in every city and town, large and small, around the globe, who are also mourning the loss of a loved one. Furthermore, the pandemic has brought economic woes and caused widespread hunger. Schooling children has become especially challenging.
“Almost overnight, everything that had once seemed normal was no longer so, as one by one, to prevent spreading the virus, nearly everyone, everywhere, went inside and closed their doors.
It was difficult to process how quickly things changed. There was a sense, suddenly, that wherever we were in the world, we were cut off. Everyone stayed home, and neighbors next door felt millions of miles apart.”
-- from the Author’s Note
It’s difficult to think of anything else that happened over my lifetime that, like the pandemic, has affected literally everyone in the world. COVID has done just that. Parents, teachers, and school psychologists all have their hands full, helping young people deal with their fears and mourning, in addition to helping students who have fallen behind.
The beautiful, engaging, and honest OUTSIDE, INSIDE is an important picture book about the once-in-a-century, worldwide disaster we’ve endured. This will be an excellent tool for helping kids get their feelings out about the impact of the past year.
Some adults have been required to work, in public, throughout the pandemic. The author dedicates this book to the first responders and essential workers who stood tall while so many of us were holed up at home.
“Everyone. Everywhere. All over the world.
Everyone just went inside, shut their doors, and waited.
Well, almost everyone.
Some people needed to be…
...where they needed to be
Outside, the sky was quiet,
but the wind still blew
and the birds kept singing.”
OUTSIDE, INSIDE concludes with a hopeful, optimistic tone, suggesting a metaphorical rebirth after a long, tough winter.
This is a book that will be of great comfort to a lot of kids. It will facilitate conversations with, among, and within young people.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
[email protected]
“When I was a young girl
Well, I had me a cowboy
He weren’t much to look at
Just a free ramblin’ man
But that was a long time
And no matter how I tried
Those years just flow by
Like a broken down dam”
--”Angel From Montgomery,” written by John Prine, who died last year of COVID
How has the pandemic affected you? What has your life been like?
Bob was a retired attorney who once argued a couple of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He was my partner’s dad. He died from the COVID virus. There are families in every city and town, large and small, around the globe, who are also mourning the loss of a loved one. Furthermore, the pandemic has brought economic woes and caused widespread hunger. Schooling children has become especially challenging.
“Almost overnight, everything that had once seemed normal was no longer so, as one by one, to prevent spreading the virus, nearly everyone, everywhere, went inside and closed their doors.
It was difficult to process how quickly things changed. There was a sense, suddenly, that wherever we were in the world, we were cut off. Everyone stayed home, and neighbors next door felt millions of miles apart.”
-- from the Author’s Note
It’s difficult to think of anything else that happened over my lifetime that, like the pandemic, has affected literally everyone in the world. COVID has done just that. Parents, teachers, and school psychologists all have their hands full, helping young people deal with their fears and mourning, in addition to helping students who have fallen behind.
The beautiful, engaging, and honest OUTSIDE, INSIDE is an important picture book about the once-in-a-century, worldwide disaster we’ve endured. This will be an excellent tool for helping kids get their feelings out about the impact of the past year.
Some adults have been required to work, in public, throughout the pandemic. The author dedicates this book to the first responders and essential workers who stood tall while so many of us were holed up at home.
“Everyone. Everywhere. All over the world.
Everyone just went inside, shut their doors, and waited.
Well, almost everyone.
Some people needed to be…
...where they needed to be
Outside, the sky was quiet,
but the wind still blew
and the birds kept singing.”
OUTSIDE, INSIDE concludes with a hopeful, optimistic tone, suggesting a metaphorical rebirth after a long, tough winter.
This is a book that will be of great comfort to a lot of kids. It will facilitate conversations with, among, and within young people.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
[email protected]
January 27, 2021
This picture book made me cry. It honors the details of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, and does so in a way that recognizes the vast differences between how people in varying life circumstances experienced these changes. Although the book does not mention the virus directly until the author’s note at the end, this glance back at 2020 was cathartic for me, and can remind readers of how the pandemic highlighted our common humanity, creative innovations, and love for one another.
This book is dedicated to frontline and essential workers, and according to the author’s note, the situations and people depicted are all based on real life. The pages sometimes include multiple different panels, with lots of details to pore over or become more aware of during repeated readings. Because some of the details are so small, this book isn't ideal for a digital storytime, unless a librarian wants to hold the book up close to the camera and focus in on each element in turn. Right now, this is best for families to read together, or for librarians and school teachers to read to children in physical proximity, in cases when that is possible. This could be a wonderful way to welcome families back to in-person storytime at the library, but the parents will need fair warning to get tissues.
Because this book is such a meaningful, touching work of art, I believe that its appeal can last beyond this cultural moment, as a way for people to look back and remember, or teach new children about recent history. However, because of that, I wish that the author had directly explained the virus within the story, instead of just leaving it implied. Even when it looks like she is about to explain why everyone stayed inside, she simply emphasizes that people did it because it was the right thing to do, without detailing the real-life circumstances. This is the one element of the book that I wish were different, but it is so excellent overall that I am still giving it five stars.
This book is dedicated to frontline and essential workers, and according to the author’s note, the situations and people depicted are all based on real life. The pages sometimes include multiple different panels, with lots of details to pore over or become more aware of during repeated readings. Because some of the details are so small, this book isn't ideal for a digital storytime, unless a librarian wants to hold the book up close to the camera and focus in on each element in turn. Right now, this is best for families to read together, or for librarians and school teachers to read to children in physical proximity, in cases when that is possible. This could be a wonderful way to welcome families back to in-person storytime at the library, but the parents will need fair warning to get tissues.
Because this book is such a meaningful, touching work of art, I believe that its appeal can last beyond this cultural moment, as a way for people to look back and remember, or teach new children about recent history. However, because of that, I wish that the author had directly explained the virus within the story, instead of just leaving it implied. Even when it looks like she is about to explain why everyone stayed inside, she simply emphasizes that people did it because it was the right thing to do, without detailing the real-life circumstances. This is the one element of the book that I wish were different, but it is so excellent overall that I am still giving it five stars.
January 29, 2021
The cover of this picture book immediately caught my eye when I saw a beautiful illustration of a girl and a black cat peering out of a window. The hearts hanging in the window and the title alluded to it being set in the current pandemic, and I'm so glad I picked up this picture book. This is a really wonderful glimpse into the lives of every day people during the pandemic, while also celebrating essential workers and giving a positive message that we're all connected and we should be protecting each other through our actions. A bonus for me was the adorable cat that follows the characters throughout the story! I would also highly recommend reading the author's note in the back of the book as well. The author's note is a glimpse into the author's own experience during the pandemic and let's readers know that the illustrations throughout the picture book are based off of real people in the author's life, which I found to be really impactful. I highly recommend this timely picture book!
January 18, 2021
This is a sensitive slice-of-Covid-life picture book that never mentions the virus or pandemic. Rather it recognizes how life has changed from a child's perspective, for some families circumstances are so much harder than for others, but still daily life has changed for everyone. This picture book doesn't focus on fear or anxiety but rather the sudden quiet and separation from community. It gives space for the reader to insert their own truth into this shared event and allows children to see themselves in this changed reality. And most important, it gives assurance that life will change again for the better. A great book to begin a discussion
February 19, 2021
This is a very sweet picture book for children discussing how, in just one day, the world outside grew quiet. Why? Because we suddenly had to stay inside to keep ourselves and others safe. I really like how the author celebrated the little daily things people have done to have fun, but also the struggles others have had. It was also nice to see acknowledgement of all the front-line workers who have worked tirelessly day in and day whether they work in a hospital, delivered our mail, or kept their groceries shelves stocked. It is a nice message of hope for the coming future and I think a comfort to small children who do not understand or are scared of what is currently going on.
January 17, 2021
"We had birthdays without parties, shared words without sound, and reached each other without touching."
Because I miss reading to little ones, I chose to read this aloud, and that act underscored the emotional resonance of these bittersweet, simple observations.
Charming, heartbreaking, and hopeful.
Because I miss reading to little ones, I chose to read this aloud, and that act underscored the emotional resonance of these bittersweet, simple observations.
Charming, heartbreaking, and hopeful.
March 14, 2021
This book is everything we needed right now. It perfectly depicts the pandemic situation. LeUyen Pham is fabulous in everything she does. Plus, there's a cat on every page!!!
December 29, 2021
Actually I didn’t read this to JP, but I saw it on the library shelf and read it while standing there. Insert crying-in-public emoji.
July 2021
July 2021
February 28, 2021
I think this book is so important for right now to give kids words to help describe what has happened in the past year and the year to come.
April 11, 2022
Rating: 3.25 leaves out of 5
Characters:3/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Genre: Picture Book/Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
Characters:3/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Genre: Picture Book/Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
August 12, 2021
Absolutely beautiful, stunning art. The book wonderfully captures what it was like to go through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It's extra-sad to read it now, in August 2021, when it seems like we've squandered all the work we did to manage the spread of the disease. I hope it's easier to read this in 2022.
August 13, 2021
A beautiful picture book that captures all of the many things that we collectively went through in 2020. Please checkout the author's note at the end :)
March 16, 2023
Al empezar a leer este libro no sabía sobre qué era, me sorprendió el tema que trata porque no me lo esperaba. Es un cuento lindo, podría decirse que muy sencillo. Las ilustraciones son bellísimas. Mi primera reacción al terminar la historia fue sentir que era una forma de ver eso que vivió la humanidad de manera muy privilegiada y quizás muy romantizada, de pronto ya estas alturas ese mensaje ya cansa. Sin embargo, es una lectura rescatable. Adoré la ilustración del gatito.
May 20, 2021
What a beautiful book! LeUyen Pham explores the many challenges Covid-19 has thrown at us all, reflecting on how the world has truly come together and adapted in a time of need. A book full of hope for the future.
January 28, 2021
This book so beautifully tells the story of us all in quarantine. Tears may have been shed.
September 24, 2023
2021, Caldecott Award, Realistic Fiction
Outside, Inside is the story of a child's perception on how the world changed when COVID hit. The main character notices how everyday she sees people out in the world, and one day everyone just went inside. In the end, she ends up learning that it is for the good of people that everyone stays inside even if it is a different world now. I can use this book in future classrooms if they ever have questions about COVID, because I know that they will be very confused about it since they were not old enough to understand much, if they were even born yet at that point.
I really liked this book and how it touched on COVID. It came out at a time that kids would be asking questions, different reasons for different ages and understanding levels. I think this book covers all sorts of concerns and questions, without getting into the difficult discussion and trauma of it all.
Outside, Inside is the story of a child's perception on how the world changed when COVID hit. The main character notices how everyday she sees people out in the world, and one day everyone just went inside. In the end, she ends up learning that it is for the good of people that everyone stays inside even if it is a different world now. I can use this book in future classrooms if they ever have questions about COVID, because I know that they will be very confused about it since they were not old enough to understand much, if they were even born yet at that point.
I really liked this book and how it touched on COVID. It came out at a time that kids would be asking questions, different reasons for different ages and understanding levels. I think this book covers all sorts of concerns and questions, without getting into the difficult discussion and trauma of it all.
July 6, 2021
What a beautiful way to remember COVID19. I adore Leuyen Pham. She is one of my favorite picture book illustrators. Her characters are always just so homey <3 So for her to be the one to write a book about covid19--coming inside, those who worked the frontlines.....it was an excellent depiction.
This book isn't preachy about masks or vaccines. It highlights how COVID hit around the world. Leuyen reminds readers of how, initially, COVID brought people together.....before we made it stupid and political.
I need to add this book to my collection if for no other reason than to be a "historical account" of my living years ;)
This book isn't preachy about masks or vaccines. It highlights how COVID hit around the world. Leuyen reminds readers of how, initially, COVID brought people together.....before we made it stupid and political.
I need to add this book to my collection if for no other reason than to be a "historical account" of my living years ;)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 519 reviews