Outside In

Deborah Underwood has written numerous picture books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Quiet Book, The Loud Book!, and Here Comes the Easter Cat and the Caldecott Honor–winning Outside In. She lives in Northern California with her feline muse, Bella.Cindy Derby is an author and illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for children, including Outside In, written by Deborah Underwood, which received a 2021 Caldecott Honor as well as five starred reviews. Cindy’s books have been translated all over the world and have also been awarded a Golden Kite Honor for Picture Book Illustration, a Crystal Kite Award, and many international awards. She lives in San Francisco with her family.

"Quietly profound…a comforting reminder that Outside will be there for us when we’re ready."—The New York Times Book Review   "[M]uch subtler and smarter than all those put-down-your-screen stories kids get hit with, and the atmospheric watercolors on these pages mesmerize. Now, more than ever, we need books to remind us that Outside 'beckons with smells, sunbaked, fresh, and mysterious.'" —NPR, Best Books of 2020   ★ "[A] love letter to nature....Lushness without sweetness—wild, darkly romantic, and exquisite."—Kirkus, STARRED review   ★ "This gorgeous celebration of nature is a stirring invitation to play." —School Library Journal, STARRED review   ★ "A moving reminder that nature’s beckoning need not go unrequited." —Publisher's Weekly, STARRED review   ★ "[A] gentle, unpreachy text that conveys the way modern life can be cut off from or blind to nature....Ink and watercolor art is gorgeously luminous....Perfect for an outside storytime, this will also provoke discussion among kids about their own outside/inside differentiations." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED review   ★ "[A] lyrical and sensory exploration of the artificial separation between indoors and outdoors....Outside In is a beguiling, thought-provoking book that thinks outside the box." —BookPage, STARRED review   "The intersection of outside and inside is creatively explored in this reflection on nature and its gentle persistence and ever-presence....Visible brushstrokes and splashes create texture, reflecting the outside’s raw, sensory, and uninhibited beauty—a beauty that (on the last spread) summons the girl out of her house and into the golden outdoors, reminding readers of the majesty that is always there, waiting just outside." —Horn Book Magazine   "Lovely, expressionistic art and poetic prose invite readers to contemplate nature’s mystique and its role in everyday life.... Through an evocative mix of aqueous washes and richer, more saturated tones, the color-washed, loose-brushed illustrations capture a sense of nature’s intrigue, delights, and influence." —Booklist —