The Hideout: A Picture Book

by Susanna Mattiangeli, Felicita Sala (Illustrator)

Hideout is a dreamlike, lyrical picture book with shades of Where the Wild Things Are that illustrates the power of imagination to transport us to new worlds from author Susanna Mattiangeli and illustrator Felicita Sala.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

It’s time to go, but no one can find Hannah! That’s because she’s in the park with much to do. She needs to collect caterpillars and sticks, make a bow and arrow, and build a bed out of leaves.

Deep in the shrubs, she sets up a secret hideout for herself and her companion, an Odd Furry Creature. Together, they hunker down over the campfire, lost in their own little world. But then a voice cuts through the branches and clearly says, “Where are you?” Hannah brushes off her paper, and the reader learns that Hannah was lost—not in the woods—but in her drawing.

“A marvelous exploration of the depth and creativity of a child’s imagination. Readers will easily lose themselves in this fantastic story.” — School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Art, Fantasy, Kids, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2019

About the author

Susanna Mattiangeli scrive racconti e si occupa da sempre di progetti per l’infanzia. Ha pubblicato con varie case editrici italiane e nel 2018 è stata finalista al Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi con I numeri felici (Vànvere Edizioni) e ha vinto il Premio Andersen 2018 come Miglior Scrittrice.
Per Il Castoro ha pubblicato gli albi illustrati Come funziona la maestra, Avete visto Anna? e Uno come Antonio.
Vive a Roma.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay...

On the surface, yes, this is a picture book about imagination and getting "lost" in your own creative world. But as I read this, I felt vaguely unnerved because I had no idea what was going on.

Hannah is missing from her room. We find out she's in the park, cavorting with the Odd Furry Creature that she found in a shrub (it likes to hide in the darkness). Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought that sounded kind of dirty! (No? It's just me? Moving on, then...) Hannah and the OFC roast pigeons (I guess they had to catch them first) and eat cookies they find on the ground (*barf*). Then Hannah hears her mother calling her, so she takes the OFC and ventures outside, where old ladies stare at it and children pet it (okay, really? I'm the only one who's totally weirded out?). Then Hannah's magically back in her room and we find out she was there the whole time, drawing. (Yes, that's a bit of a spoiler... but it's already in the synopsis.)

The premise is thin, and not a lot to hang a whole picture book on. I spent so much time wondering why she was running away from her mom's voice in the beginning. Had something happened? Why did she want to live in the park? None of those questions are really answered. "She was just drawing a picture," is about all the answer we get... and it's not a very satisfying one. I guess maybe the kid is lonely, but I don't really know what that has to do with living in the bushes in the park.

Weird book.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I didn't like the feeling of being dropped down in the middle of what seemed like a story that had already started, I was won over by the end of the book. Children, however, may feel cheated by what they perceive as a cop-out ending. The entire story is Hannah's fantastical drawing. I know, I know . . . that's almost as bad as "it was only a dream" right? On the bright side, Felicita Sala's artwork is quite winning.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are creative and appealing...but I was more than a little dismayed to find that this book starred a little girl who uses a slingshot to hunt birds in the park. That's not something I expected to find in a book published in this decade....heck, in this century.

Now, at the book's conclusion, we learn that "the hideout," the Odd Furry Creature, and everything else are fantasies conjured up by a girl as she sits at her drawing desk. Even so, the bird-killing content left a bad taste in my mouth and I'd hate to see kids recreate their own Hideout-inspired adventures involving slingshots in the park.

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little weird, a little mysterious, and a great metaphor. Definitely more suited to older kids who can ask questions and you can better explain the ending to. The art is adorable either way.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is the story of Hannah's hideout, real or imagination? Where was Hannah? In the woods? Or somewhere else? Who is the odd furry creature? Can Hannah hear the voice?
This book may leave you with more questions than answers. This is one of those books that I would love to read to children to see what they think.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of respect for a story about a girl who gets lost in her creativity, and even more so for a story about a girl whose imaginative world promotes resourcefulness, independence, and outdoor exploration. I'm even okay with the repeated references to pigeon grilling (a girl's gotta eat).

[Christine Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Hannah? She is nowhere to be found. She is busy in her secret hideout, getting it into tip top shape. What is she going to do there? The ending might surprise you.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the mystery of the story, I don't believe it is written simply enough for children to appreciate the meaning of imagination.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic story or building your own world via imagination works but I wanted more from information about why she wanted to go live in the park with the mysterious creature. It was confusing and the ending really didn't go anywhere to explain or wrap up why any of this happened.
The illustrations were highly detailed.

[Erendira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would have a substantial look at nature, but I was mistaken. The story wasn't as warm and tender like others I've read about children escaping their daily lives to venture out in the wild. The only wild thing here is a secret creature the narrator keeps hidden until it is exposed!

I'm not sure what the lesson here is; although, the artwork is excellent.

[Mrs. Mazzola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd story. It feels like a story of getting lost in your own imagination, much like an ode to Where The Wild Things Are, but it is difficult to follow and left me feeling more confused than interested.

[Kaitlin Bisbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hideout is a sweet story about a young girl who (most likely in her imagination) goes to live in her secret hideout in the vegetation at the park. No one knows its there, and she lives off the land. The girl roasts pigeons, makes a bed out of leaves, and a cape from feathers. She makes a friend, a large furry thing, who keeps her company while she stays in the hideout. But eventually she is curious about the things going on outside in the park, and someone is still looking for her, even after all of this time. So she eventually leaves the hideout, and the last remnants exist on her drawing on her desk. I really responded to this book because I instantly thought of my childhood. My childhood best friend and neighbor lived on several acres of woods, and we used to spend out days making forts in the woods. We could take wood and nails, make shelving and seats, and even have campfires and cook food, and camp in our forts at night. This story could resonate with children like me who enjoy playing outside, making forts, and who might even have an imaginary friend. In our class we are always talking about the relate-ability of books relating to student's love for reading, and including a diverse selection of books that can resonate with a student's hobby, including disappearing into homemade forts in the woods, can help them connect with text on a personal level that inspires them to read.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts out with a voice saying "Hurry up, we have to go!" but no one can find Hannah. She's in a hideout and never planning to come back. She's in some shrubs in the park. "Hannah heard the voice calling, but it was too late to go back. She would live int he park, collecting lost things, drinking from the fountain, and hunting for birds.... There was just too much to do; she really had to stay." I think this was my least favorite part because it makes it sound like she just didn't care about her family. She ignores the voice calling to her and plans to live in the park. There are some good parts- she finds shelter, makes fire, food, clothes... At the end, she eventually crawls back out and she "brushed away the crumbs from her eraser, blew on the piece of paper, and got up from her chair." It's obvious that she's been drawing- in her own little world. At the beginning though it shows an empty room. I think I would've liked it better if I saw a foot sticking out from under the bed, so it seemed more like she was pretending. I guess there are legs under the bed, but they're colored the same as the stuffed animals and as small as the stuffed animals, so it's more likely a forgotten doll. I would've liked it more had the whole thing been a little more obvious that it was pretend and she was in her own little world of her creation. Illustrations are watercolor and colored pencils and very detailed and fun. I'd say they're more natural colors.

[Alyssa Baxter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a creative and imaginative girl's adventures with a strange creature. This is a book with a super outdoorsy girl, which is not common. This shows children that they can be whoever they want to. It shows how fun being imaginative can be, even if others think that your ideas are weird. The illustrations were very detailed, and the pages were full of color. However, there was a point in the book that was a little confusing and made me think that I skipped a page. The girl hid from her family, which could be a little problematic. There was not a conflict or question driving the plot. I would possibly use this book to encourage my students to be creative and different or for them to practice reading because the author used simple words. Overall, the book was ok, but it was not my favorite. This book does not really have a use for in the classroom other than possibly leading to a discussion about what makes everyone unique.

[Yessica Cancino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving the book, The Hideout, a 3. It is a story about a little girl that has so much she wants to discover. Hides out in a secret spot with The Odd Furry Creature. The Odd Furry Creature is very quiet and like the dark, so he likes to be with her and together they spend time together until it gets quiet outside. Then they go out and there she is in her room drawing a picture of her and The Odd Furry Creature. I would use this book in my classroom for students to read when they want. It has detailed pictures. It is a book that children would enjoy because they would like to read about The Odd Furry Creature and the friendship it created with the little girl.

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange and almost surreal story of a child who imagines so intensely her hideout in the park-- and the imaginary friend she meets there-- that it comes to feel real not only to her but to the world of the picture book. While perhaps a bit too whimsical for an everyday storytime, I can imagine this book being rich and enjoyable with an early elementary audience, as the kids would certainly enjoy talking about what in the book was "real" and what was imagined. Main character is white with red hair and freckles; people with brown, black, tan, and white skin tones are shown playing and walking in the park.

Themes: Imagination, Hide and Seek

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two younger elementary students who listened to me read this were a little confused but in a good way. It requires them to stretch their imagination to include the possibility that there isn't only imaginary places in books, but places inside our minds that are very real and safe. And that's magical.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully whimsical, Hannah gets a bit carried away with her imagination one day - living hidden in the shrubs in a park, foraging for food with an Odd Furry Creature - and lives a very long time in the space of an afternoon.

[Kelly]

I love hideouts, and every child should have at least one. But I don't get the odd furry creatures. So it was a decent book - could do for prek storytime and for a craft have the kids make their own furry creature or what creature they'd hide with.

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly confusing as the story unfolds but the reader gradually realizes that this is a flight of fancy, an imaginative adventure. Wholly held together by the brilliant illustration of Felecita Sala. Engaging.

[Helyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lush and detailed illustrations of an urban fantasy world for a girl and her imaginary friend to hide away. A beautiful book about the magic and escape of being creative and doing art. Great for lovers of art, nature, solitude, and imagination at any age.

[Mareike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, dieses Bilderbuch gefiel mir auch sehr gut. Habe es einfach mal auf meinen Wunschzettel gepackt, weil ich das Cover chic fand. Nun habe ich es gelesen und angesehen und war am Ende doch ein kleines bisschen erstaunt über den Ausgang der Geschichte. Auch sehr empfehlenswert.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young gril creates a hideaway for herself and her companion, Odd Furry Creature.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for kids who love the drawing or getting immersed in a project.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is like Where the Wild Things Are meets What Do You Do with an Idea? A little girl decides to hide away with a mysterious creature and it's a surprising discovery of where she's been.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love imagination. The idea of the book reminds me of one I wrote way back in my school age days.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected a little more from this book. I liked the illustrations, but I guess I kind of missed the point

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure where this was going, but it turned out just lovely. Nice tribute to getting lost in art and the imagination.

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea about the power of imagination and the illustrations are nice and bright, but the story itself is a bit confusing and not that well executed.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely imaginative world