sarah-perry

I'm not gonna lie, the cover itself is what pulled me towards this book. The very strange fish on a plant esthetic had me curious, and with a title like "If..." - the suspense was killing me.

Apparently it was made back in the 90s, so I'm shocked I never picked it up as a kid. I devoured books as a child, but my city wasn't super diverse in it's library offerings. Lucky me, I get to pick up this book so many years later!

This story presents many "what if" scenarios like cats flying and show more magnetic turtles. The pictures are beautiful and the story is soft, simple and sweet. This book is definitely for a very young audience, but it's a very fun book. I could see three to five year olds bonding with parents and reading buddies over this joyful little book.

My biggest positives:
1. The art is FANTASTIC. The Siamese cat flying was beautifully drawn, and that's just one of many. Add that to the wild cover page, and you've got some wildly beautiful art. It didn't feel like a picture book, because it was just so darn pretty.

2. The creativity of some of these what ifs is absolutely wild. Worms with wheels?! I never wouldh ave imagined it. I am totally impressed. Except for my only negative of the book.

3. The braille shout-out! I totally approve and got super excited to see that splash of diversity! That's not a word I see too often and man am I proud!

4. The Reader's Guide at the end was very interesting to read as an adult reader. The kids might not like it as much, but I was intrigued. It had me thinking like a kid again!

My (obviously very personal) negatives:
1. Mice... as... hair... What? Why? Who thought of this?! Honestly, I'm curious. I'm horrified. My hair as mice?...

Overall, I'd say this is a must read picture book. It stands in line with Robert Munsch's classics, The Hungry Caterpillar, Grandma and the Pirates (my personal fave) and other wonderful popular books. This book is unique, full of creativity and imagination, and totally thought provoking. We need more books like If... littering the shelves of children everywhere.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for this awesome opportunity to pick up this literary classic. show less

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is very eye catching, but what I love the most is the stories within stories in the pictures ("If mountains were dogs" making an appearance in "If Clouds were spirits"; 88 ants in the number 8 in "If Ants could count", etc.). The cover is absolutely magnificent, and it embodies the whimsical and imaginative mind-bending experience within. This book whet my appetite for other works by Sarah Perry.

A 25th-anniversary-reissue picture book, which I’d never before heard of, Perry’s surrealist work is attractive and novel enough, but ultimately unsatisfying. There is no plot, nothing to hold the disparate speculations, which make up its contents, together. I can imagine children enjoying the work and perhaps using the creator’s pattern as a model for their own fanciful speculations and images. Beyond that, however, I don’t see much point in the book.

Review of eBook

Imagination takes flight in the pages of this stunning book. Over a two-page spread, twenty-two different “what if” fantastical suppositions are matched with a full-page illustration. What if: cats could fly . . . dogs were mountains . . . music could be held . . . whales lived in outer space . . . the moon were square?

But the colorful watercolor illustrations reveal even more. What can you discover? And what is your own “What if” idea?

Although intended for young show more readers ages four through seven, this magical picture book, a twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the original publication, is sure to delight readers of all ages. Two new “what ifs” have been added for this edition: What if turtles were magnetic . . . and What if dreams were visible . . . . And don’t miss the surprises awaiting you in the Readers Guide to the Secrets of “If . . .”

Take an imaginative journey of endless possibilities and see where this book takes you.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Getty Publications and NetGalley
#If #NetGalley show less