PICTURE BOOK - If.... - Sarah Perry

Illustrated by the author

1995, J. Paul Getty Museum

HC $16.95

44 pages

Goodreads rating: 4.34

My rating: 4.5

Endpapers: Bright yellow with a trail of ants

Title Page: Simply the words, black on white, with one ant

My comments: Twenty "if" statements accompanied by 20 imaginative paintings - I can think of a dozen ways to use this in a classroom! Check 'em out:

          If cats could fly...

          If mice were hair...

          If worms had wheels...

          If frogs ate rainbows

          If dogs were mountains...

          If zebras had stars and stripes...

          If music could be held...

          If ugly were beautiful...

          If toes were teeth...

          If caterpillars were toothpaste...

          If whales lived in outer space...

          If leaves were fish...

          If clouds were spirits...

          If butterflies were clothes...

          If lightning made rhinos...

          If ants could count...

          If the moon were square...

          If kids had tails...

          If spiders could read braille...

          If hummingbirds told secrets...

          

Goodreads:  A diving board to creative wordplay, the fascinating picture book If...offers a surrealistic view of the natural world. The two-page spreads present artful watercolors paired with such strange possibilities as "If zebras had stars and stripes...," "If the moon were square...," and "If worms had wheels...." Although some of the ideas and pictures are whimsical to the point of being downright creepy ("If caterpillars were toothpaste, if spiders could read braille..."If toes were teeth..."), the hypotheticals will surely inspire flights of fancy for readers of all ages. What could be more appealing for a 5-year-old than imagining the silliest suppositions and seeing them come to life in realistic paintings?       

          Sculptor Sarah Perry creates a world to make us stop and think. One of her best illustrations depicts a large, hairy warthog with a sparkling crown and the text, "If ugly were beautiful...." With every if idea, the author encourages the kind of mental double take that comes naturally for children. (Ages 4 to 7, and adults, too) --Emilie Coulter