What do you think?
Rate this book
In
I only want to stay in.
In my pajamas.
Inside.
In. In. In.
For a boy and his toy giraffe, today is the perfect day to stay in. Snug in his pajamas, he reads books, bakes popovers, and plays with a big wicker basket—that he transforms into a rocket ship to fly in “innerspace.” But soon, the outdoors is too tempting to resist, and he takes his wild imagination into
nature. That is, until it’s time to come inside again.
Illustrated with the gorgeous paper cuts for which Nikki McClure is known, In reminds us of the essential childhood pleasures found in an engaged day of imaginative play and exploration, without electronics, scheduled activities, or adults.
In my pajamas.
Inside.
In. In. In.
For a boy and his toy giraffe, today is the perfect day to stay in. Snug in his pajamas, he reads books, bakes popovers, and plays with a big wicker basket—that he transforms into a rocket ship to fly in “innerspace.” But soon, the outdoors is too tempting to resist, and he takes his wild imagination into
nature. That is, until it’s time to come inside again.
Illustrated with the gorgeous paper cuts for which Nikki McClure is known, In reminds us of the essential childhood pleasures found in an engaged day of imaginative play and exploration, without electronics, scheduled activities, or adults.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2015
3 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Nikki McClure
37 books95 followersNikki McClure of Olympia, Washington is known for her painstakingly intricate and beautiful paper cuts. Armed with an X-acto knife, she cuts out her images from a single sheet of paper and creates a bold language that translates the complex poetry of motherhood, nature, and activism into a simple and endearing picture.
Nikki McClure is a self-taught artist who has been making paper-cuts since 1996. As one of the more prominent visual artists involved with Olympia-based record labels K and Kill Rock Stars, as well as the Riot Grrrl movement in the early nineties, her work still embodies the fiercely independent fire that fueled the passion and creativity of that time period. She lives in Olympia, Washington.
Nikki McClure is a self-taught artist who has been making paper-cuts since 1996. As one of the more prominent visual artists involved with Olympia-based record labels K and Kill Rock Stars, as well as the Riot Grrrl movement in the early nineties, her work still embodies the fiercely independent fire that fueled the passion and creativity of that time period. She lives in Olympia, Washington.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 17, 2015
I get you, kid: I also like to stay inside in my pajamas and read.
May 25, 2021
The paper-cut illustrations are so detailed and delightful. I love seeing the intersection of paper art and children’s literature.... I also want to crawl inside the basket.
November 25, 2015
The center pages deliver the counterpoint in this text, almost bumping it up from 3 to 4 stars. The constant use of the word in, referring to indoors and wanting to stay inside builds tension that breaks when the kid pops outside to be 'in the rain' and 'in a puddle'. This fun reversal of word meaning helps the narrative begin to contradict itself a bit. The illustrations break from a tone of tight enclosure to wide open and sprawling spreads. But the symmetry of the story would have been more pleasing if a similar device had been used to get the kid back inside.
Illustrations do not make the character clearly a boy or a girl, which was interesting. But then the jacket flap, which is often written by the author, clearly identified him as a boy. Too bad! I wonder if the editor wrote that text or McClure? Either way McClure would have been able to see it before it went to print. This could have been a good example of non-gendered text!
Illustrations do not make the character clearly a boy or a girl, which was interesting. But then the jacket flap, which is often written by the author, clearly identified him as a boy. Too bad! I wonder if the editor wrote that text or McClure? Either way McClure would have been able to see it before it went to print. This could have been a good example of non-gendered text!
March 18, 2015
Simple text and illustrations but so much more than originally meets the eye. I'm thinking about opposites and imagination. I'm thinking about connections and nature.
I thought about Lizi Boyd's Flashlight when I read this one.
I thought about Lizi Boyd's Flashlight when I read this one.
December 29, 2021
A kid let's their imagination soar while being determined to spend time either "In" or "Out".
Fairly simple, frequent plot of something ordinary (like a box or a basket) sparking the imagination; which is fine, I love flights of fancy! Probably the reason I didn't rate this one higher is the color scheme, yellow, black and white are not my favorites, though the drawings were nicely detailed.
No content issues; the kid is shown sitting on the toilet, but clothing is arranged so they are modest.
December 30, 2021
A little boy is quite content to stay inside, until something lures him outside. But maybe his first idea was better?
This feels like a stream of consciousness picture book from the point of view of a kid who can't decide if they want to be in or out on a day that is sometimes rainy. The artwork stands out for the style, and I can easily picture a child being indecisive about whether they wanted to be in or out. It just lacked that little extra spark, and is easily forgettable.
This feels like a stream of consciousness picture book from the point of view of a kid who can't decide if they want to be in or out on a day that is sometimes rainy. The artwork stands out for the style, and I can easily picture a child being indecisive about whether they wanted to be in or out. It just lacked that little extra spark, and is easily forgettable.
March 1, 2021
My 5-year-old loves this book so much. It is beautiful and elegantly written and has become an almost everyday book for us while we’ve been stuck inside this past year. We love looking through all of the pictures and talking about what the child is doing, and my kid continues to be very stoked about the owl pages.
April 24, 2021
A very cute picture book full of black, white and yellow pictures. It’s about a boy spending his day at home. He is using his imagination pretending to be in a rocket ship, reading, snacking, going outside and playing in the rain. There is a lovely spread of 35 different owls and a guide with their names. A great book for young children.
October 12, 2019
This was an interesting book. I liked the art style. The story itself was nice and had a bit of a sporadic flow. The theme works out however.
I liked the addition of the owls (however random they were).
I liked the addition of the owls (however random they were).
November 18, 2021
In reminds us of the essential childhood pleasures found in an engaged day of imaginative play and exploration. It is a picture book full of Nikka McClure's wonderful paper manipulations. Incredibly engaging and playful.
August 9, 2023
I was very into the illustrations and finding the giraffe. I also think the character's desires are very relatable to kids (and adults). (The owl part was a little unexpected to me, but do you, Nikki McClure- owls are cool and if you get a chance to show a bunch off, go for it!)
January 13, 2025
it was a nice little book, it really reminded me of me as a child when I would just get attached to one thing but then immediately get on with a new interest. today the similar thing is happening with me going from tangents to tangents during conversations
January 4, 2018
While the images of the little boy are not consistently lovely, there are wonderful vignettes, showing him in interesting perspectives.
January 24, 2018
Lovely indecisive child.
December 12, 2018
Beautiful illustrations. Ages 3-6.
January 12, 2019
I get it...but I don’t get all of it. There were certain parts where, as the kids used to say, “you forcin’ it.”
April 21, 2019
Who hasn't wanted to stay in in their jammies and read? I liked the vibe of this and of course I love her.
November 17, 2020
Ah the eternal struggle, inside or out? I want that owl spread framed and on my wall.
June 26, 2021
A young boy only wants to be “in.”
October 11, 2022
I liked how sharp and contrasting the images are, my little kiddo was drawn to it because it was so bright.
January 18, 2023
This is a very odd little book. Pretty simple and likely appealing to a younger crowd than I usually work with.
April 18, 2024
3.5 stars
Great illustrations!
Great illustrations!
November 21, 2025
Artist research: loved the owls so much. What a fun book of words, the color yellow, and owls.
June 7, 2019
'I only want to stay in. Inside. Indoors.'
Me, every day before going to work.
Me, every day before going to work.
February 4, 2015
It’s the perfect day to stay in, in your pajamas, inside the house, even hiding inside a basket with your toy giraffe. A child plays that he is a rocket ship in space. He puts milk in his tea and marmalade in popovers. It’s all about being in for him. But then he looks out the window and decides to play in the rain and in the puddles. He wants to be out, outside, peeking out of branches. He will even stay out at night with the owls. In the end though, he is happy to head back in and get in bed in the warm house.
Simply told and beautifully illustrated, this picture book explores the opposites of in and out in a poetic and vivid way. Woven into the narrative, the words of in and out play against one another and even together to build the experience of a young child at play. Every child will enjoy seeing how they too like the differences between in and out.
McClure’s illustrations are just as wonderful as always. Done in paper cuts, they are detailed enough that one could mistake them for pen and ink at times. The play of white and black against the sunny yellow is beautifully done with the yellow being sunshine, moonlight, and marmalade at times.
A day of play combined with the concepts of in and out will have toddlers and little ones inspired to spend their own days both in and out of the house. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Simply told and beautifully illustrated, this picture book explores the opposites of in and out in a poetic and vivid way. Woven into the narrative, the words of in and out play against one another and even together to build the experience of a young child at play. Every child will enjoy seeing how they too like the differences between in and out.
McClure’s illustrations are just as wonderful as always. Done in paper cuts, they are detailed enough that one could mistake them for pen and ink at times. The play of white and black against the sunny yellow is beautifully done with the yellow being sunshine, moonlight, and marmalade at times.
A day of play combined with the concepts of in and out will have toddlers and little ones inspired to spend their own days both in and out of the house. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
August 22, 2017
Eeeeeh...this is going to be one of those books that is highly dependent on the child. For me, I was not impressed by McClure's attempt at an "artistic" look by limiting the pallet to black, white, and yellow. While I generally don't have a problem with design choices like that, the yellow doesn't "pop" enough. No, it's not quite white, but it doesn't grab your attention like a red, blue, or green would.
The story itself is a bit predictable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, with picture books. Kids don't know tropes yet. But there just isn't anything to catch your attention in the book, either, except the one odd pull-out page about seeing owls. Honestly, I'd have rather McClure did a longer book focusing on owls than just throw them in for their own indulgence.
Give it a try from your library, see how your child likes it. Honestly, plenty will enjoy it. But enough to justify a purchase? Unlikely.
The story itself is a bit predictable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, with picture books. Kids don't know tropes yet. But there just isn't anything to catch your attention in the book, either, except the one odd pull-out page about seeing owls. Honestly, I'd have rather McClure did a longer book focusing on owls than just throw them in for their own indulgence.
Give it a try from your library, see how your child likes it. Honestly, plenty will enjoy it. But enough to justify a purchase? Unlikely.
January 5, 2016
A boy and his giraffe want to stay inside their cozy home, exploring the "innerspace" and crawling into this or that place. When the pull of the outdoors becomes too tempting, then it seems impossible to ever want to go IN when you are having so much fun OUT.
This author illustrates her books with black and white papercuts that make up for in detail what they lack in color palette. My favorite part of this book is the Owl Guide at the end, where the author explains that she first wanted to make a picture showing every kind of owl in the world but when she found out that there are over 200 species of owls she decided to just do her favorite kinds of owls. They are all numbered and labeled, for owl enthusiasts young and old.
This author illustrates her books with black and white papercuts that make up for in detail what they lack in color palette. My favorite part of this book is the Owl Guide at the end, where the author explains that she first wanted to make a picture showing every kind of owl in the world but when she found out that there are over 200 species of owls she decided to just do her favorite kinds of owls. They are all numbered and labeled, for owl enthusiasts young and old.
August 14, 2015
Is this the year for black, white, and yellow picture books? I love the text, with its rhythms, opposites, occasional puns, and satisfying circular journey. I could see this as a Geisel honor with its simple, repetitive text, if "marmalade" isn't too difficult. The woodblock prints are bold and dynamic with small details to look for throughout. I would gladly frame and hang a print of "I'll look out from branches." on my wall. I did find the author's note about owls to be bizarre; it makes too much of one detail and is not sufficiently separate from the main text. That gate page, though, is one even a librarian can love.
March 24, 2015
An imaginative youngster has no problem staying inside with his stuffed giraffe toy since he finds plenty of things do. But when he ventures forth, he decides that being outside is just as interesting. At least it is until he starts feeling cold and wet and longs for the comfort of his bed. Following the boy as he goes from one activity to the next, entertaining himself and even using a basket as a rocket ship in which to travel, the interesting illustrations were created by cutting black paper. I liked the contrast presented with the use of black, white and yellow colors.
May 22, 2015
"I only want to stay in.
In my pajamas.
Inside.
In. In. In."
The little boy in this story wishes no more to be IN. I can relate. I am completely mesmerized by McClure's illustration style .The limited usage of colors in this particularly monochromatic text draws the eyes back and forth, combing for lost details. I love it.
To Market, To Market was my first read of hers, and her ability to convey a certain milieu that captures so perfectly a childlike sense of wonder keep me reading. This book is like her others in that sense.
In my pajamas.
Inside.
In. In. In."
The little boy in this story wishes no more to be IN. I can relate. I am completely mesmerized by McClure's illustration style .The limited usage of colors in this particularly monochromatic text draws the eyes back and forth, combing for lost details. I love it.
To Market, To Market was my first read of hers, and her ability to convey a certain milieu that captures so perfectly a childlike sense of wonder keep me reading. This book is like her others in that sense.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews