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Playground
Two friends take a fun, fantastical trip to the playground through Mies van Hout's amazing art. Climb through the trees, find the way across the crocodile-infested river, and bushwhack through the blackberries, feel your way through the dark cave, escape from the monster, and slide into safety on your way to the jungle gym.
Hardcover
First published October 7, 2015
1 person is currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Mies van Hout
53 books15 followersI grew up in a village in the south of Holland called Hapert. My father allways told us stories. When he was telling we were all sitting around him. I also liked reading, but most of the time I was drawing.
When I was very young I knew that I wanted to become a drawer. And I didn't know what to do otherwise.
http://www.miesvanhout.nl/engelsoverm...
When I was very young I knew that I wanted to become a drawer. And I didn't know what to do otherwise.
http://www.miesvanhout.nl/engelsoverm...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 28, 2016
I love the art and the message in this book. As I was reading it with my 6 year old son we were able to have a wonderful message about the journey, rather than the destination. The artwork is mesmerizing yet simple.
November 20, 2017
This is an incredible, interactive picture book! Van Hout's illustrations are fantastic, and the concept here is so much fun. Not only is each page a beautifully rendered, abstract maze, but the kids also accumulate buddies on their journey. I also love the dual messages: both "the journey is more important than the destination" and "nature is a better playground than anything we can dream up." I will be gifting this to every child I know.
November 13, 2023
A veces la aventura está en el camino y no en nuestro destino final. 💕
December 19, 2015
In this import from the Netherlands, lively colors fill the book's pages as two youngsters head off on an adventure through its pages. Red arrows point the way for them to move throughout the book, providing a model of directionality and perhaps visual literacy practice for young readers that won't necessarily be needed for older readers. As they explore various aspects of nature leading to the playground, including the dunes, the trees, a cliff, they are joined by different animals. By the time they reach the playground, the entourage has grown quite large, and the playground seems very dull in comparison to what they've encountered. It will be no surprise that everyone decides to head back instead of staying where they are. The book jacket reminds readers that the journey is often more interesting than the destination, and this book certainly proves that adage to be true. How can a playground with a simple swing set compete with the wonders of a cave and a raging river, after all?
October 16, 2016
I like the theme - that the journey can be just as important as the destination.
October 28, 2018
Not gonna lie -- I was halfway through the book before I realized I was looking at a book that was both story and mazes. That blew my sons mind. His two favorite things in one book!! We spent at least an hour going through this and he will definitely go back to this again and again.
The "story" teaches that the journey can be more fun than the destination. But it teaches it kinetically by allowing the reader to to go on the adventure with the characters in the book through the fingers as they find their way through each beautiful maze. This is a major theme in our house so this was a perfect book for us.
If you like "Press Here" by Herve Tullet you will love this book.
The "story" teaches that the journey can be more fun than the destination. But it teaches it kinetically by allowing the reader to to go on the adventure with the characters in the book through the fingers as they find their way through each beautiful maze. This is a major theme in our house so this was a perfect book for us.
If you like "Press Here" by Herve Tullet you will love this book.
July 8, 2020
The illustrations are really fun and colorful, but I wasn't much of a fan of the ending story-wise.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Their whole goal was to get to the playground and once they did, they left right away. What?? I would have thought they would spend at least SOME time at the playground. I get it the journey getting to the playground was great, but it just made it seem like the destination didn't matter much and that it was just weird.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Their whole goal was to get to the playground and once they did, they left right away. What?? I would have thought they would spend at least SOME time at the playground. I get it the journey getting to the playground was great, but it just made it seem like the destination didn't matter much and that it was just weird.
June 13, 2018
The book follows two children as they play on the playground and fall into a world of imagination. The illustrations are cute and the texts asks that the readers experience the story with the characters, but it didn't connect as well as I wanted it to.
For: readers wanting a book about play and imagination.
Possible red flags: attacking ants, monsters, and imagined peril.
For: readers wanting a book about play and imagination.
Possible red flags: attacking ants, monsters, and imagined peril.
December 15, 2020
I LOVE the idea of this, but I don't think it was executed well. Different pages had different "rules" that were unclear. And at the end, the "monster" we were supposed to sneak by without waking just wanders up. Like...did we fail? Is it mean or friendly? No explanation. I just wish there were more consistency in the world the book built.
August 25, 2023
Niet het mooiste boek in zijn soort, maar onze kleuter vond hem wel heel leuk. Ik zou er 3 sterren aan hebben gegeven omdat de illustratiestijl me niet altijd echt aansprak, maar zij koos hem meerdere dagen op rij meteen als bedtijdverhaal en had er zichtbaar plezier in om met een vinger de hele weg te traceren over de pagina's; dat is toch 4 sterren waard dan.
September 8, 2024
Me hizo recordar a Hervé Tullet pero de una forma más lineal. El libro propone un juego para los más peques, sorteando obstáculos y probando caminos hasta llegar al parque. Las ilustraciones son muy divertidas y con un toque fresco, como de acuarelas.
Cortito, sencillo, pero seguro que provocará mucho a los peques.
Cortito, sencillo, pero seguro que provocará mucho a los peques.
June 30, 2020
Beautiful colors, and I love that the message is to enjoy the journey. The book is set up so that you can run your finger across every page (there's a starting point and stopping point in each spread). This is great, but is definitely better for reading one-on-one than to a large group.
April 5, 2022
En este libro la gama de colores llama mucho la atención ya que son fuertes y vibrantes, las imágenes cubren toda la hoja, son llamativas e invitan a los niños a interesarse en el libro ya que es dinámico debido a las figuras de las ilustraciones.
November 15, 2016
Sometimes the journey is more fun than the destination. Two children imagine their way to a playground through all sorts of challenges. Art plays heavy so preschool and up.
September 6, 2017
Tricky mazes. Must conceptualize negative space. Cute critters though.
April 20, 2018
Too individually interactive for a storytime.
May 16, 2018
Interactive: A fun maze-story combination.
January 6, 2019
I like when books are interactive so this one was neat with the mazes through nearly every page
February 5, 2019
Good book for hand eye coordination in young kids.
August 21, 2019
Sometimes nature is just as good as a playground
August 17, 2021
Mooie illustraties en een mooie boodschap ! de reis is belangrijker dan de eindbestemming
Read
November 22, 2021cute. color explosion with pattern exploration. delightful line play!
December 19, 2021
Re lindo este libro.
May 31, 2025
Zo, we zijn er!
kom! We gaan weer terug
kom! We gaan weer terug
October 17, 2016
This book is magical! It’s about two friends taking a wild and unexpected journey to a playground. They run through dunes, climb trees, cross a river, snack on blackberries, battle an anthill, jump on clouds, slide down a mountain, crawl through a cave, and sneak past a monster before reaching the jungle gym. The story focuses not on the destination itself, but on the adventure of getting there. It kind of reminds me of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Instead of rushing to get to the prize, the children take time to enjoy the path of exploding color and innocence. I like that the book is illustration heavy. Honestly, the words could’ve been left out and the reader could still understand what was happening for the most part. One really neat aspect that’s included is that each page has a little red arrow to indicate where to start and where to go next. Young readers can use these to follow along and during the exciting trip, gently sliding their fingers along lines and down paths as if they were walking through the adventure themselves.
The images are created by Mies van Hout, an artist from a small village in the Netherlands. I did some resreach on her website and truns out she uses gouache and acrylics with many different sized brushes to create her picture books. Sometimes illustrations will take just a week or many months before she is satisfied. All of Mies van Hout’s artwork is done by hand in the comfort of her very own garden studio. How dreamy is that? One of my favorite pages of Playground is the one about taking a break on the path to enjoy yummy blackberries. A bright fuchsia color is used as if blackberries themselves have been taken and smudged on the outer edges of the page. I also really love when the characters jump on cotton-candy-like clouds that are made of pinks and oranges.
Aside from the book being uniquely written and having fanciful, quaint illustrations, it also has a deeper message. The characters in this book work together through the long journey to the playground, asking each other for advice along the way. For example, “Which paths should we take?” and “How can we get across?”. I like how the text always uses the word “we” as if everything is a team effort, focusing on problem-solving and forming solutions. I think this would be wonderful to include in a lesson for students. It could even be fun and interactive by having students pair up or get in small groups to create their own journey to the playground. It could be a mini field trip in which the class walks outside as a whole taking stops for each obstacle they face. At that point they could work together creatively to come up with the problem then a solution for how to conquer it!
The images are created by Mies van Hout, an artist from a small village in the Netherlands. I did some resreach on her website and truns out she uses gouache and acrylics with many different sized brushes to create her picture books. Sometimes illustrations will take just a week or many months before she is satisfied. All of Mies van Hout’s artwork is done by hand in the comfort of her very own garden studio. How dreamy is that? One of my favorite pages of Playground is the one about taking a break on the path to enjoy yummy blackberries. A bright fuchsia color is used as if blackberries themselves have been taken and smudged on the outer edges of the page. I also really love when the characters jump on cotton-candy-like clouds that are made of pinks and oranges.
Aside from the book being uniquely written and having fanciful, quaint illustrations, it also has a deeper message. The characters in this book work together through the long journey to the playground, asking each other for advice along the way. For example, “Which paths should we take?” and “How can we get across?”. I like how the text always uses the word “we” as if everything is a team effort, focusing on problem-solving and forming solutions. I think this would be wonderful to include in a lesson for students. It could even be fun and interactive by having students pair up or get in small groups to create their own journey to the playground. It could be a mini field trip in which the class walks outside as a whole taking stops for each obstacle they face. At that point they could work together creatively to come up with the problem then a solution for how to conquer it!
May 6, 2016
Prentenboek voor de Kinderboekenweek 2015!
Wat een heerlijk boek is dit zeg! Niet alleen heeft het prachtige platen, maar het is ook heerlijk interactief.
Want ja, wat is er nou leuker dan een boek met plaatjes? Dat je in die plaatjes een eigen route kunt bedenken, dat je een begin en een eind hebt, en dat je zelf moet uitzoeken hoe je van punt A naar punt B komt. Spring over wolken, klim door een bramendoolhof, klauter door een grot, en waarvoor eigenlijk? Nou, voor die leuke speeltuin!
Ik vond het hartstikke leuk lekker mee te doen, mijn weg te vinden door monsters en doolhoven.
Er was niet veel verhaal/woorden, maar je kunt je eigen verhaal zeker weten maken. Daar leent dat interactieve zich echt wel voor. Vertel een spannend verhaal over het monster in de grot, of over het grote wolkenland dat na de klif komt. Ja, ik kan me zo 1000 en 1 verhaaltjes bedenken bij alleen al de plaatjes en het interactieve gedeelte.
De illustraties waren best mooi, niet helemaal mijn stijl, maar zeker niet slecht. In elk plaatje kun je weer wat ontdekken, en ik vond het einde (geen spoilers natuurlijk) superleuk.
Zou ik dit boek aanraden? Zeker weten! Kinderen gaan dit hartstikke leuk vinden. Lekker meedoen terwijl je zelf of de ouders een spannend verhaal erbij bedenken. :)
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Wat een heerlijk boek is dit zeg! Niet alleen heeft het prachtige platen, maar het is ook heerlijk interactief.
Want ja, wat is er nou leuker dan een boek met plaatjes? Dat je in die plaatjes een eigen route kunt bedenken, dat je een begin en een eind hebt, en dat je zelf moet uitzoeken hoe je van punt A naar punt B komt. Spring over wolken, klim door een bramendoolhof, klauter door een grot, en waarvoor eigenlijk? Nou, voor die leuke speeltuin!
Ik vond het hartstikke leuk lekker mee te doen, mijn weg te vinden door monsters en doolhoven.
Er was niet veel verhaal/woorden, maar je kunt je eigen verhaal zeker weten maken. Daar leent dat interactieve zich echt wel voor. Vertel een spannend verhaal over het monster in de grot, of over het grote wolkenland dat na de klif komt. Ja, ik kan me zo 1000 en 1 verhaaltjes bedenken bij alleen al de plaatjes en het interactieve gedeelte.
De illustraties waren best mooi, niet helemaal mijn stijl, maar zeker niet slecht. In elk plaatje kun je weer wat ontdekken, en ik vond het einde (geen spoilers natuurlijk) superleuk.
Zou ik dit boek aanraden? Zeker weten! Kinderen gaan dit hartstikke leuk vinden. Lekker meedoen terwijl je zelf of de ouders een spannend verhaal erbij bedenken. :)
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 15, 2015
Humoristische, priegelige tekeningen met een zwaan-kleef-aan verhaal erin verweven en op elke dubbele bladzijde een route die je samen met de kinderen moet ontdekken. Niet geschikt om voor te lezen aan grote(re) groepen, omdat het veel te leuk is om met je vinger de route te zoeken.
Erg grappig einde en meteen een pleidooi voor 'gevaarlijke' stukjes natuur in woonwijken in plaats van zo'n suffe wipkip of schommel.
Erg grappig einde en meteen een pleidooi voor 'gevaarlijke' stukjes natuur in woonwijken in plaats van zo'n suffe wipkip of schommel.
December 2, 2015
Na elk boek van Mies van Hout denk je leuker en beter kan niet, maar steeds opnieuw blijkt dat wel te kunnen. Ik heb opnieuw zo enorm genoten van dit boek. Het blijft een feest om Van Houts boeken te 'lezen' en te bekijken. Van mij mag er meer van dit verschijnen... véél meer...
Zie ook het inkijkexemplaar <
January 19, 2020
This book was extremely weird but you can totally see how it appeals to a kid sensibility, especially at the end when the kids get to the park and it’s nowhere near as fun as their adventuring. Not a lot of words so it means a lot of explaining and discussions on what silly things are happening in the pictures. But my 2 year old LOVED it. We ended up returning it late to the library after multiple renewals.
June 17, 2016
This book has absolutely gorgeous artwork. I could see this working really well a s felt story if you're creative, or even better as an act-out story for smaller groups (think going on a bear hunt). You could turn it into cards and have the parents read them aloud. Preschool and kindergarten ages would get a kick out of doing these actions and putting on their imagination hats!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews