Outside My Window

by Linda Ashman, Jamey Christoph (Illustrations)

A joyous glimpse into different cultures   Children living in different parts of the world see very different things when they gaze out of their windows. One child looks out over a boulevard lined with palm trees, another sees a train whistling past snow-capped mountains, and another waves to her father as he tends to their garden. But while their lives may seem different, there’s something important that they all share.  This beautiful book will spark readers’ curiosity and imagina­tion with its celebration of global diversity.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Geography, Cultural, Travel, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2018

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Zainab Alkhamis]

Outside My Window
By Linda Ashman
This recent published book talks about diversity by mentioning several cities around the world. Each city was described by a child from that city explaining what she/he is seeing from their windows. According to Colours of Us website, Outside My Window is one of the 50 best multicultural picture books of 2018. And it is one of the books that previewed of the 2019 Notable Social Studies Trade Books list for young readers from kindergarten to second grade.
this book stood out to me because of its illustration. I think it will help teachers to teach children about cities and how they differ around the world in term of social studies themes. This book will engage children to read / listen and make connection between their experiences and the text.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated book that touches on the many sights children all over the world see in their neighborhoods.

[Savannah Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children all over the world describe what they see outside of their window. From New York to Nova Scotia to Marrakesh, readers get to see what it looks like outside of another child's window. At the end, the readers are reminded that there are some things that tie us all together.
I chose this book because it was a really fun way to see all the diversity in our world from children's perspectives. At the end of the book there is a list of all the locations that the book featured which is nice for conversations after the book. I think it is always important to show children that there is so much more to the world than just what they see outside their own window. Children need to be exposed to the endless possibilities of the world they live in, and this is a lovely children's book that does that.
Grades 1 & 2
I would use this book to inspire students to draw and write about what they see outside their window. In the book, the children describe things like what the buildings look like, what animals they see what type of trees they see and more. They use descriptive language that brings their "window" to life. Students could work on describing what they see outside their window and practice using descriptive language and details.

[Jesslaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family loved this book! Let’s begin with the book itself. When I took it out of the package it felt very well made. The dust jacket is soft and the pages are nice heavy paper.

The illustrations are lovely. My ten year old commented that they were just...so good! My two year old enjoyed looking at them as well. It kept him busy for a good while. They are engaging for any age.

The text is in rhyme and done very well. Each page a different child tells you what is outside their window. I liked that it was mostly normal things that all children could relate to. In he back is a page telling you where the children live. This is helpful because while I could make a good guess, the page doesn’t make it obvious.

This is a great book for the whole family. It gently introduces children to The larger world around them. An excellent springboard for a geography unit or a stand alone activity for preschool and young elementary.

I received a free copy of this book for LibraryThing early reviewers. I was not required to give a positive review and all opinions are my own or those of my children.

[Madison Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Age range (K-3rd)
2. This book explores the wide range of backgrounds that children around the world come from and what experiences they have. What goes on in the individual worlds around each child can be seen outside of their windows. When you look out the window, you can see the different trees/plants, animals, people, houses, etc. This is exactly what this book explores, how different a child’s view from their window can be based on where they are on the globe. The pictures and writing in the book not only demonstrate how different one child’s view is from another depending on where they are, but it also sparks their curiosity, making them ask questions about different cultures, and possibly even leading them to truly explore the traditions, etc. of other cultures.
3. I chose this book because I thought the cover was cute, with the girl and her dog peeking out the window, but I was also curious about what the book could be about.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short four-lined poems describe what is outside the window in each of the places author Linda Ashman takes her readers. The book would be a great discussions-started with younger children about what is outside their windows in addition to how the world contains many different places – and that those places look different from “here.”

Jamey Christoph researched the locales of the book before digitally creating the illustrations. The illustrations complement the text well and show listeners more than is in the text.

I would not hesitate to add Outside my Window to my K-12 Christian School library. It would make a great addition to your picture book or poetry collection.

I received a complimentary copy of Outside my Window from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers because I am a member of the Land of Enchantment awards committee. A review was not required.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children all over the world share what they see when they look outside their window.

I like that this included some places that don't often make it into these different views from around the world books. Guatemala, the Canadian Rockies, Ethiopia, and rural England (vs London) for example. I wished that there were a few more locations in Asia (only 1 from Japan made it) or that Oceania had gotten at least one, and less from North America (which had 5 out of the 12 locales), but I understand that the primary audience of the book will probably be in North America. The illustrations are very appealing and the rhyme was well done. This will at least get kids thinking about how others live and that the world is a very big and diverse place. Recommended for geography classes, studies about communities, curious kids, and kids who want to travel virtually.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside My Window by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Jamey Christoph is a delightful story about children around the world and their view from their window. There is a beautiful representation of the diverse surroundings, as seen from out their windows. Lyrically poetic text pairs with stunning illustrations. The book includes an author and illustrator note, as well as a listing of locations around the world that are featured in the window views. Outside My Window is an excellent choice for a read aloud when exploring the diverse geography of our world, to spark a conversation about our different locations in the community, as well as to simply appreciate our ordinary lives and to realize how extraordinary and delightful they can be. Highly recommended.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool
Multicultural: New York, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Morocco, New Mexico, Denmark, Guatemala, Japan, Massachusetts, England

With 1-2 sentences, children around the world describe what's outside their window, including the natural landscape, buildings, animals, and the people. Although we are miles apart, we all share the same moon. A nice celebration of diversity, but there isn't anything outstanding. A simple rephrasing could have also mentioned that the moon is technically not being shared with every window at the same time.

[Shazzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet illustrations accompany Ashman's rhyming text highlighting the everyday views outside the windows of children around the world. There's nothing extraordinary about the scenes, which is wonderful in its way. Author Linda Ashman and illustrator Jamey Christoph have highlighted the beauty in the ordinary and the familiar, and made a relaxing journey around the world seem like the work of a pleasant afternoon.

[Jasmine Magee]

This book shows how different people see different things when they look outside of their windows. One person might look outside and see a train, and another might look outside and see the ocean. This can be used to teach students that not everyone has the same view of the world as each other. It can give them perspective on how different people grow up in different areas and live different lives. Students can write about what they see when they look outside of their own windows at home.

[Kaylee (School) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, each view that is presented is from a different person in a different place. Each place is beautiful in its own way, whether it is mountains, skyscrapers, or the ocean. This book does a great job of discussing and showing the many different homes a person can have. I would love to read this book in my future classroom because I think that there would be many great conversations and illustrations that could come from the discussion.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soft illustrations set the scene along with rhyming text take children on a tour of everyday life around the world. The book is a good introduction for young readers to differences in how people live. Another positive aspect of the story is that while the differences are noted, the authors end the book with a statement of unity.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What’s outside your window?” a little girl asks. And we are taken on a trip around the world as other children describe what they see out their window. There are so many views, so many cultures and yet, the little girl realizes that we all share the same moon and “then, somehow, the world feels small, and you don’t seem so far at all.”

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork in this poetic picture book that celebrates the sights that children from all over the world see outside their windows.
Kids enjoyed it.
It is a good book to discuss world geography with students and has back-matter with the names of the towns shown in this book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you look out the window of your home, what do you see? We may all see different things, but we see the same things too -- the sky, the sun, and the moon. A beautiful story to remind us we all share this world together.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glimpse outside someone's window and you'll see a different view. Twelve different locations (or windows) are shared in this picture book. It's a book that opens the world, through a look out the window.

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific book to use with Culturegrams. Students could further investigate the countries mentioned in the book. They could also research other countries to discover what they see outside their window.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children around the world in different types of houses and communities describe in poem form what they can see out their window. Representations from all continents and skin colors- students will be able to find themselves in this jaunty rhyme.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very cool book. The illustrations were beautiful and the story was fun. I wish that each setting had an equal number of lines written about it because it felt weird to me how some places had more writing than others, and I wish more countries had been represented.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! The illustrations are lovely and beautifully capture the area where the child lives. Every 2 pages shows you a different view from a child's window from all over the world. Even though we may all live far away, we still see the same moon every night! And I love that.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashman Burns #10
Beautifully descriptive book of what a person sees outside their window, it could be a catalyst for some discussions on descriptive writing and how to describe items in detail, using different words.

[Judy Ripke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book gives children a "window" to the world by thinking about what others see when they look our their window. Yet, we all see the same moon at night.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What children living in different parts of the world see when they gaze out of their windows. A simple, joyful celebration of global diversity.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going around the world to see what is outside others' windows.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in rhyme, children around the world share what they see outside their window. Charming and universal.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely book with beautiful, rich illustrations that show vignettes of children and their homes around the world with a subtle message of human connection.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Ashman has just solidified the number one spot on my list of current picture book authors. She is amazing. This book is perfection.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is lovely and it is nicely diverse. I wish there had been a bit more detail about the aspects that make each different county special though.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

A read aloud that easily lends itself to extension activities in primary classrooms.