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They Only See the Outside
On the Notable Poetry Book List from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
This empathetic collection by renowned Kalli Dakos is a unique reflection of what makes up some of the collective experiences of life.
This collection of insightful and endearing poems explores what kids experience on the inside that cannot be seen from the outside. From topics that readers experience every day, like the agony of waiting for recess, to the monotony of homework, to things that aren’t easy to talk about, like death and bullying, the poems are incredibly relatable.
This empathetic collection by renowned Kalli Dakos is a unique reflection of what makes up some of the collective experiences of life.
This collection of insightful and endearing poems explores what kids experience on the inside that cannot be seen from the outside. From topics that readers experience every day, like the agony of waiting for recess, to the monotony of homework, to things that aren’t easy to talk about, like death and bullying, the poems are incredibly relatable.
64 pages, Hardcover
Published March 23, 2021
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 28, 2023
On the outside, you may seem happy and jolly; yet, when you're alone and by yourself, you face insecurities that disturb you or problems that seem impossible to solve. This book beautifully talks about this exact thought and the connections from this book are neverending. In this book, there are 30 chapters that touch on everyday problems that someone can face from bullying, homework, or even death. This book is a reflection of what makes an individual and their collective experiences of life. This book received the 2022 NCTE Award for Excellence in Children's Poetry and Verse Novels. The major themes in this book were insecurities and death. On page 19, the student asked if the teacher was ever fat like her stating, "When you were a child, where you ever...ever...fat like me?" It is clear the student is not confident in her body and the way she portrays herself. Death was also a major theme as the main character's dog died. The main genre of this book is poetry. Children reading this book could learn the common conflicts that their peers or friends face on an everyday basis. They could also learn how it is okay to not be perfect and to appreciate what they have and who they are. This book was a WOW book for me because of how easily I could connect to the book. Although it was written for children, as a college student, I often face a lot of these problems myself throughout the day and have negative thoughts about myself.
One literary device that the author used in this book was repetition. During the first chapter, the word "ME" is repeated throughout most of the lines. It creates a pattern and emphasizes the contrast between the idealized version of oneself and the actual self. Another literary device used was contrast. In one of the chapters, the main character contrasts their desires and aspirations, such as riding a bike, hiking, and playing soccer, with the reality of being in a wheelchair. The contrast between their dreams and the limitations imposed by their physical conditions emphasizes the challenges they face and the sense of unfairness in their situation. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because there is nothing that indicates racism or race. This book discusses the problems that many people face with their insecurities and negative thoughts they often face in their lives.
One literary device that the author used in this book was repetition. During the first chapter, the word "ME" is repeated throughout most of the lines. It creates a pattern and emphasizes the contrast between the idealized version of oneself and the actual self. Another literary device used was contrast. In one of the chapters, the main character contrasts their desires and aspirations, such as riding a bike, hiking, and playing soccer, with the reality of being in a wheelchair. The contrast between their dreams and the limitations imposed by their physical conditions emphasizes the challenges they face and the sense of unfairness in their situation. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because there is nothing that indicates racism or race. This book discusses the problems that many people face with their insecurities and negative thoughts they often face in their lives.
September 22, 2021
This poetry collection offers kids poems about situations they may find themselves in and ideas for handling incidents successfully such as:
friends who move away
bullies
death - pets and people
Very well done!
friends who move away
bullies
death - pets and people
Very well done!
September 7, 2021
I’m agonizing on how to rate this. Individually there are some poignant and deeply resonant poems, but as a collection, there is no rhyme or reason, if you will. The lack of organization of each poem into categories or thought about which poems lay side by side is a huge drawback. For instance, the first poem is about starting a new school year. The second is about a child contemplating who to report her abuse to at school. This one is the left page and the right page (poem 3) is about giggling transcending language. It is an abrupt shift that happens over and over again making it a rollercoaster I didn’t want to ride a few poems in. One moment you’re reading about dog and grandma death and recess the next. A child remembers his friend who died of a rare disease in one poem followed by a silly hyperbolic one. It is too much to ask of a reader to switch emotions constantly…it’s exhausting and made me wary of turning the page. I believe kids would benefit from seeing these issues and emotions plainly on the page, but this lack of organization and flow will be off putting and triggering to readers. That said, the poems about Danny’s book that made him cry and the daddy long legs have my heart. The pencil and eraser poem is an excellent mentor text for fables or allegories. Perhaps teachers can mine this using specific poems instead of a cover to cover read. I agree with the Kirkus review: “Odd juxtapositions make reading this like brain freeze—unexpected and not totally enjoyable.”
October 19, 2021
The book is a great way to open tough conversations like death or bullying. Open a discussion about how kids don’t really know what is going on on the inside of their classmates’ lives, only the outside. There were some poems I REALLY loved and others were meh. That also might be because I’m a grown up and this is more for little ones.
As someone who grew up with ADHD, struggling in school and feeling left out, I absolutely adored “They put a Band-Aid on My Head.” I also really liked “The most Important Time” and “Four Wishes.” One taught me the magic that can be found in the present while the other taught me the magic that can be found in each of us, if only we keep our imagination alive.
As someone who grew up with ADHD, struggling in school and feeling left out, I absolutely adored “They put a Band-Aid on My Head.” I also really liked “The most Important Time” and “Four Wishes.” One taught me the magic that can be found in the present while the other taught me the magic that can be found in each of us, if only we keep our imagination alive.
July 18, 2023
Kalli Dakos has tackled some tough subjects for kids and she has done it with incredible finesse.
This would be a book I would want to read to my kids at home and have them share where they have felt the same.
This would be a book I would want in my classroom to read to my students and talk about how it makes them feel or when they have experienced something similar. This would be a book I would want to have in my library. I would promote it and share it with kids and check it out to many of them until it gets tattered and worn.
Thank you, Kalli Dakos, for bringing out our humanity, and struggles, and ways for us to share the weight so troubles won’t overwhelm us!
This would be a book I would want to read to my kids at home and have them share where they have felt the same.
This would be a book I would want in my classroom to read to my students and talk about how it makes them feel or when they have experienced something similar. This would be a book I would want to have in my library. I would promote it and share it with kids and check it out to many of them until it gets tattered and worn.
Thank you, Kalli Dakos, for bringing out our humanity, and struggles, and ways for us to share the weight so troubles won’t overwhelm us!
September 28, 2023
"They Only See the Outside" is a book published in 2021 and won the NCTE Poetry Excellence Award in 2021. This collection of poems encourages readers, especially children, to delve deeper into their emotions and thoughts. The poems cover various topics, from loss and difficult experiences to seeking answers and connections, helping children realize they're not alone in their feelings. I thought this book had some great poems that are relatable and convey deeper messages. I think that this book would be great to have in the classroom to foster empathy around young readers.
November 25, 2024
While I am not a big poetry person, I think having books available for kids that show the world as it really is, with the 'hard' things, is so important. The poems that Dakos has in this book are all experiences that students will experience at some point, whether that is the loss of a pet, family member, or a friend moves away. While I could be happy putting this on my shelf for students to read whenever they choose, this book would be a great tool for SEL lessons surrounding loss, sadness, and empathy.
May 17, 2022
As I started to read the poems in this book I loved the idea that these were poems about what we don't see when looking at kids. The joy, the heartbreak, the fear, etc about everyday type things. Some are silly, some are serious, and some are in-between. I think looking at the poems in this book to think about feelings and categorize the poems could be a great SEL activity. Definitely, something I want to revisit.
September 27, 2024
I am not a fan of poetry so please know that when I put five stars there really should be like 20. This book was beautifully written and I felt that I saw myself in the words. These are all about feelings of insecurity, loneliness, confusion, and grief that these children are feeling. I have already bought this b0ok for myself to have in my classroom and have let given it to my little siblings to read in case it can help them. If you do not have this book, buy this book. Buy 4 of these books.
December 21, 2022
Lovely range of poems about challenges kids face like being called names or grief, fun black line illustrations.
November 10, 2021
(2021). This is full of poems about emotions and what people can be going through internally. Could be great for middle schoolers and above. Poetry
November 28, 2023
They Only See the Outside by Kalli Dakos is a children’s poetry book that supports social-emotional learning. This book features a series of poems covering death, bullying, homework, and other everyday things. This book is a great way to introduce your students to intense, hard-to-talk-about topics. These poems could be used in any classroom but I would recommend upper to middle elementary, as some topics could be hard to grasp, but there are poems for everyone. This book won an NCTE award in 2022.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews