Inside Outside

by Anne-Margot Ramstein, Matthias Arégui (Illustrator)

From the creators of Before After comes another book of opposites, this time exploring the concepts of within and without.

Safe inside its shell, a baby bird prepares to brave the world. A spelunker descends into a wide and glittering cavern while fellow explorers cluster around a crack in the earth. Fire-red ants march busily around their anthill, oblivious of a hungry anteater waiting above. A wordless look at the concept of inside and outside.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Art, Animals, Nature, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2017

About the author

Anne-Margot Ramstein studied art in Paris before joining the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg. She created illustrations for ABC des Tracas with Matthias Arégui as well as the children’s book Les Illuminations D’Albert Einstein. She lives in France.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this newest children’s book from Anne-Margot Ramstein, she explores different perspectives, usually in nature. It’s wordless and oversized, nearly coffee-table–book size. As the title suggests, Inside Outside contains illustrations of various images showing how each appears inside and outside. One page shows bees inside the hive making honey, and the next shows them outside on flowers. Another shows a cross-section of an apple, tunneled by a worm buried inside. On the opposite page, a woman sits on a picnic blanket and is about to bite into that same apple.

I didn’t understand one thing: why the inside view is on the first page and the outside on the second page. Though this order syncs with the title, it seems to make more sense for the outside image to come first.

The book is simplistic, with no actual story, but it has a smart theme, and I was continually surprised and amused. I can’t decide on a favorite image. I do wish it were longer--it takes just a few minutes to get through--and that the illustrations were more impressive. Their exaggerated size works well to make them pop off the page; however, illustrator Matthias Arégui crafted them digitally, and although these are his own (no clip art, for example), digital illustrations never awe me. They lack the detail that makes a book especially fun to pore over and admire. When I compare this artwork to that in, say, Rumpelstiltskin, it can’t compete. In that book, Paul O. Zelinsky lovingly oil-painted each illustration in exquisite detail. His is an uncommon talent, so I don’t expect this caliber of illustration in every children’s book, but I can’t rate very highly any children’s book featuring digital illustrations. Inside Outside is therefore not the complete package, but the idea behind it makes it worth taking five minutes to look through and maybe set on the coffee table.

NOTE: I received this as an Advanced Reader Copy from LibraryThing in February 2019.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Co-creators and artists Anne-Margot Ramstein and Matthias Arégui, who previously collaborated on Before After , join forces again in this wordless picture-book exploration of the concept of inside and outside. Each two-page spread features a vividly colorful illustration of something "inside" on the left-hand side, and something "outside" on the right. The artists play around with the contrast they are drawing, with inside scenes sometimes not being what one would expect - with the snow globe, for instance, inside and outside feel inverted - or the outside scenes revealing something humorous about the inside, as when the truck driving through a deserted landscape is revealed to be holding up a long line of cars...

Originally published in Frances as Dedans Dehors, this visually stimulating and intellectually engaging look at supposedly oppositional concepts is a pleasure to peruse. Its large dimensions - it is considerably taller than your average picture-book - make Inside Outside a volume a child would enjoy poring over. As mentioned, I found a number of the inside-outside pairs quite interesting, in unexpected ways which I greatly appreciated. The artwork is colorful and appealing, although it sometimes had a flat quality that was off-putting to me. I always found the illustrations here interesting, but there were times where I wished they had more depth to them, visually. I think it is that feeling which makes this one more of a three-and-a-half-star title, rather than a four-star one. However that may be, this is one I would recommend to fans of wordless and/or more conceptual picture-books. It isn't a story, but it is quite engaging all the same.

[delphine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le duo Ramstein-Aregui joue avec la notion d’espace dans leur livre “Dedans Dehors”. Avec l’utilisation de la double page, le duo montre avec brio la simultanéité de chaque situation.
Dans de grandes illustrations colorées, le duo utilise les perspectives et les contrastes visuels pour faire découvrir à leurs lecteurs que chaque événement est relatif selon que l’on se trouve dedans ou dehors.
Un album que je recommande 🥺

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coolest picture book I've seen in awhile.

[Sarah Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtfully illustrated book with so many ah-ha moments

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cool kids book! Adding it to my list!

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought this book would be a completely educational picture book for children, based on the first couple of pages showing the inside of a duck egg vs. the outside. After I finished the book I thought, "well, that was weird." I wasn't really a fan of the art style, but on the second read I liked it more. It's really more of an art book, with some strange, insightful, humorous, tongue-in-cheek illustrations. Younger children might like the colorful, busy pictures, but this book is probably meant for older children and adult readers. A good coffee table book.

Thank you to Candlewick Press and LibraryThing for the advanced copy of this book!*
*This did not affect my review or rating.

[Vera Godley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts about the concept of wordless books: Books without words can seem to be worthless because the whole issue of literacy is the ability to read and write WORDS. Since early man, the desire and skill to communicate has been expressed. First of all the spoken word was the means of communication and then forms of drawings to represent their lives. So the transition to the means to write and read words is an achievement of mankind that should be guarded and appreciated.

So why the "wordless books" or books without words in today's world?

The simple reason is that the author/artist is encouraging the young reader to approach these works as adventures in discovery by the attention to minute detail. Now let's look at two books whose approach is the concept of wordless "reading."

My thoughts about INSIDE OUTSIDE: I like the concept of having children take the time to peruse the entire image and find details. I also like the concept of this book that causes the child to explore relationships between the outside and the inside. Snowing or storming outside; safe and dry inside. Unhatched duckling inside; mama duck with babies outside. Diggers above ground or outside; a man inside a crystal cave exploring.

The illustrations are bold with limited detail but enough to enable the child to observe and understand the difference between the inside on one page and the outside on the next.

I can see this book being used in a variety of ways. Young children will delight in finding the details and learning the concept of what happens inside and what happens outside. I can also see this being used to some degree in a Special Education class to help these older students with limited understanding grasp concepts that border on being abstract.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This visually stunning book is the return of the creators of Before After. This book focuses on the opposites of inside and outside and also on the relationship between the two. Using only images, the book explores what it means to be “inside” and what it means to be “outside.” At times the book will fool the reader, allowing them to think they are outside when they are actual in, something revealed by the next picture in the pair. Images of a submarine window, which is on the cover of the book, reveal a pairing of the outside really being the vast ocean not the peek through the window. A setting in a snow globe may feel outdoors, but it’s actually caught inside the dome of the globe. These are just a few of the exciting opposites shared here.

So gorgeously designed, the modern illustrations in this book have a harmonious feel to them as readers progress through boats caught in storms, ocean life, and even pounding hearts. Each turn of the page is a delight and a surprise as readers try to figure out which is inside or outside and why. The art is filled with sharp lines, bright deep colors, and offers interesting perspectives on the subject matter just to fool the eye.

A brilliant wordless book meant to exploration. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy books like this one because they stretch the imagination. While some such as the baby duck folded inside its shell as it prepares to hatch and the scene that shows a large egg surrounded by chick are exactly what readers might expect, others really make them think and require more than a brief glance. For instance, a trail of fabric leading through an open window faces a page that shows an escaped maiden swimming in a pool of water while the long lines of the knotted fabric hang down the length of a castle wall. In another pairing, a small bird looks at a collection of feathery friends, but is he on the outside or the inside of that fence? I loved the snowy mountain scene that turns out to be a snow globe and the pounding heart that is beating inside the body of someone leaping from a bridge. This is a very cool and intriguing book intended to be explored multiple times. It might even serve as an example for others who are interested in expanding on the idea of inside and outside as depicted here.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This completely effective and versatile sophisticated concept book can be appreciated by all ages. The spreads include one page of “inside,” and one page of “outside.” For example, one spread has a close-up illustration of a heart beating on one side and a high bridge with a bungee jumper just launching off on the other. On another, the “inside” is the interior of a vehicle cabin plus a view of the driver’s scenic but desolate vista while the “outside” is an aerial view of the huge line of cars behind this truck winding, presumably very slowly, through this remote roadway. Inference. Perspective. Writing prompts. Picture walks. This book can be used in so many ways. I can’t wait to share it with an art teacher who will hopefully use it and pass it along to English/language arts staff. Get two or more copies for K-12 school libraries so staff can maximize its teachable potential and so kids can just check it out and have fun looking through it.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fantastic book with big, bright and beautiful illustrations that show the opposites, inside and outside side by side. If you’re looking for a book that will help children learn these opposites, then this is a fantastic choice.

The book is oversized, creative and uses great examples to catch the eye and interest of young readers. There are no words, just illustrations, so this book is essentially a visual aid. But a very effective visual aid.

I highly recommend libraries stock up on this one, and every household gets it for their first readers, young learners and anyone else who would benefit from big, bold, art.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wordlessly this beautiful picture book leads the reader into worlds large and small to bolster creative imagination. Within each two page spread, the reader is drawn narrowly into and widely out of scenarios where they might become a spelunker, a dog inside a doghouse or even a chick inside an egg. These unique perspectives will surely lead to interesting questions from curious kids and can offer great prompts for story telling, creative writing and afternoon day dreams. I love this concept and so appreciate the accessibility of a picture book that can expand to satisfy a larger audience: young, old, those who can read and those who cannot. Wonderful!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this sophisticated wordless book, and my five-year-old does too. The only complaint I have is that I don't particularly care for the artists's style, but that is a matter of personal preference and not a reflection on the quality of the art. I love that the book requires some thinking to really understand, and that it provides opportunities for discussion. In that sense, it reminds me a lot of Fast-Slow High-Low by Peter Spier.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wordless picture book that compares views from inside with views from outside. Each spread uses the left page to explore inside something and then the right page shows the outside view.

A very clever picture book, especially because the authors used such a wide variety of things, places, and situations for this book of opposites. Definitely recommended for curious kids or kids just realizing there are different perspectives.

Notes on content: One naked piece of male statuary art. It is in deep shadows so some may not even notice.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, extremely visual book. Appropriate for highly observant children, and all adult GN fans.

I don’t have a good art-related vocabulary, so bear with me. This is a wordless book. Because if the size, artistic style, and content, it feels more like a GN, less like a picture book. The art is very interesting— cartoon-distinct colors but not silly. I loved how (balanced? Unbalanced?) many of the panels were— all the business of the illustration in one half of the page, the other half vibrantly colors but otherwise blank.

Recommended.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it's a wordless picture book, it's time to choose just how much to tell and how much to keep secret. I was fooled by this deception more than once as to my imagined "inside" and/or "outside". The illustrations dare the reader to do just that: What is inside? What is outside? Anne-Margot Ramstein and Mattias Aregui have created an amazing book!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3yo complained mightily about the absence of words in this book. But I kept on pointing out interesting things in the pictures, and the unusual choices the creators had made, and by the end they wanted me to reread it! So that's a hit. The pictures are a little impersonal in style, but the whole concept is so intriguing, I enjoyed it as much as my kid did.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordless picture book with views of the same thing from different perspectives... a worm inside an apple, the torn bed canopy outside the tower window, a cave spelunker inside a diamond mine, the inside (underwater) of a fishing lake etc.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot like The Other Side but with beautiful colors. There is a lot to see on these pages, so it could be a really rich lap-reading experience.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

--Received as part of librarything's early review program--
This book is simply lovely; evocative illustrations make it easy to tell a different story every time (but I'm worried about the dog in the boat)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless book has huge, colorful pictures of something on the inside and something on the outside. Great book if you want to get some outside of the box discussions going in an ESL class, or have young children explain what is going on. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[Danielle Ducrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enthralled by this book. Every two-page spread tells a story from two opposite perspectives. Without one perspective, each narrative is only half-finished. Ramstein's narratives are interesting and say so much in only two visuals.

[Elaine Ker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le concept est vraiment incroyable : on voit deux choses identiques, une page de l'intérieur, une page de l'extérieur... avec quelques plot twists où on a l'impression qu'on voit le dedans, et en fait c'est le dehors !

[Kim Piddington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordless PB- full of subtle humor.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful artwork!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever and insightful juxtapositions, brilliantly illustrated. A masterpiece of a wordless book. Highly recommended for all ages.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT. I really love it. Wonderful artwork. Love the use of callbacks and meta without being too precious.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique take on life: it's really all about perspective. Giving the images without framing them with context (i.e. words) was a genius choice.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever!