How do young children understand Covid-19 and the way it has transformed their world? The changes that happened to everyday life, starting in spring 2020, are chronicled in Outside, Inside, a book that grew out of Caldecott Honor artist LeUyen Pham's "way of coping with events as they unfolded." Using simple language and detail-filled digital illustrations, Pham builds scenes with which young readers will be familiar: "Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed./ Everybody who was OUTSIDE.../ ...went INSIDE."
Outside, Inside contains a sense of hope, although, of course, the virus continues after its publication. The virus is never named, but children and the adults with whom they share this book can use it as a springboard to discuss their own experiences. Pham's excellent illustrations are the heart of this book. Children will likely find comfort in seeing a scary time represented in such a gentle manner. --Melinda Greenblatt, freelance book reviewer