Higher! Higher!

Leslie Patricelli Board Books

by Leslie Patricelli

The sky’s no limit in a witty picture book about a child on a swing and the wonders of the imagination.

One child. One swing. An obliging dad. The inevitable plea to go "Higher! Higher!" Add Leslie Patricelli’s wildly expressive illustrations, and an everyday pastime reaches new heights of humor and whimsy. How high can it go? Higher than a giraffe? Taller than a mountain? Is Earth the final frontier? The creator of a popular series of board books rises to the occasion with an ingenious picture book of very few words that expresses the giddy glee of being pushed in a swing.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Space, Fiction, Family, Aliens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2009

About the author

Leslie Patricelli is the American writer and illustrator of the best selling line of toddler books, starring her inimitable Baby character, including Potty, Toot, Yummy Yucky, Big Little, and Hair. She has more than 30 books for children, including her preschool books, Higher! Higher! (a Boston Globe Book Honor Award winner), Be Quiet, Mike!, Faster! Faster! and The Patterson Puppies and the Midnight Monster Party; as well as a middle-grade novel, The Rizzlerunk Club: Best Buds Under Frogs, published in 2018. Leslie Patricelli grew up in Issaquah, Washington close to Pine Lake. Leslie Patricelli majored in Communications at the University of Washington and took classes at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Leslie Patricelli created and animated Rover the Dog for Windows XP help installed on more than 60 million computers worldwide.

Reviews

[Archit · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of imagination involved with this one. How much higher can you go in a swing? Can you reach to the space? Oh, anything is possible.

The "High Five" came out as a surprise. Recommended for toddlers.

[N_sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this picture book because the illustrations so clearly show the fantasy world where your imagination can take you. An unnamed little girl is being pushed on a swing by her father. The words simply say, "Higher! Higher!" As you turn each page,you see how much higher her imagination is taking her on the swing. First, she is looking a giraffe in the eye. Next she is pointing at kids on top of a skyscraper. She gives a thumbs up to a climber at the peak of a mountain. By the middle of the book she is greeting aliens in outer space. All the way up and all the way down, the little girl's face depicts the pure joy of imagining you are in far away place. The last page ends with an illustration of her hugging her dad from the swing and the word, "Again!"

The illustrations are childlike drawings done in bold colors with black outlines so they stand out. The faces of the dad and girl are almost like stick people drawings and yet their expressions of happiness are clear. I will use this book to demonstrate several things to my first graders. First, I will express the many text to self connections I made. When I was a little girl, my swing set was my favorite toy and I loved to imagine I was flying places, too. When I became a mother, I would push my own children on the swing and help them imagine they were going to kick a cloud or fly to the moon. I will use it to encourage my students to use their imaginations to take them to faraway places. I will also use it as a model in writers' workshop to show how pictures can tell a story with only a few well chosen words. I think "Higher! Higher!" would be a great book to use with preschoolers-first grade.

[One Code 431 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My question is how the father did it???😱 but anyway my childhood dream

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at storytime. The toddlers I read too were pretty lost to the overall concept of changing perspective, but enjoyed the repetition in the text. The five year old crowd however found so much of it hilarious and enjoyable. Each page for them, was like a "Oh no she didn't!" moment. One kid even said "WOW, what could be HIGHER than that!??!" at one point. It was a good book to encourage imagination and creative thinking. The illustrations are clear and playful.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this book. It only uses a handful of words, and that's all it needs. A little girl goes "higher higher" on a swing and her imagination and Patricelli's bright bold pictures takes her all the way to outer space and home again. My guess is that she won't be the only one saying "again" when this book is shared with a child.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple concept executed fantastically. How high can the girl go? To outer space?? Illustrations are a great compliment to the text, not redundant. We read the bilingual English/Spanish version!

[Nia King]

How high can you go? The little girls height increases as you turn each page leaving the reader in suspense. The illustrations are everything in this book. Great way for kids to use their imagination.

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Girl. Is so. me.

[Kristin Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

An author/illustrator duo that understands its toddler audience--simple and silly!

[Victoria Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute.....

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excited to find this bilingual series of board books. There's so much imagination and pretend play in this little book. The child on the swing keeps asking "Higher, higher!" (Mas alto, mas alto!) and her wish comes true-- to the sky, to airplane level, to outerspace-- it's delightful. This was a hit with our three year olds and even led to a talk about how a book might show what happens in our imagination as well as in "real life." Highly recommend and look forward to reading as many of Patricelli's storybooks as possible.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid. It's simple, but it's pretty good for all ages. It has few words and easily-digestible illustrations, which is all great for toddlers and keeps their attention. But there are fun little details that are easier for preschoolers to pick up on, so it's good for them, too. And older kids who are already in school will get just how ridiculous it is that she swings as high as she does. This is a winner.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simple but fun book. I enjoyed reading it to a group of two-year olds and caregivers. We had already talked about how one might get into space, so getting there on a swing was a fun diversion. The repeated refrain "Higher! Higher!" was something everyone could participate in, and we also enjoyed the bright colorful illustrations.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys and I recently went to the library for the first time since COVID, and this was one of the books that came home. I started reading it to the two-year-old, but all of them gathered around to listen, and, halfway through, everyone had big, see-your-back-teeth grins at the increasing ridiculous situation. That's a memory that deserves preservation.

my favorite quote: "High five!"

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 7+ years of parenting, I have strong opinions about children's board books. The value of those opinions is probably limited, but if you're going to read a book at least 100 times, Higher! Higher! is definitely one of the most creative and fun options to get stuck with.

[Mort's Kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets

Nothing groundbreaking here, just decent illustrations and a simple, one-note joke with a couple of subtle gags.

[Julia]

little girl swings higher and higher till she can see things like stars. Too simple for Stella right now, although after we read it once and returned it, Stella started saying 'higher! higher!' while swinging.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost too quick and simple for an all-ages storytime (especially when you've got big siblings out of school for the summer), but perfect for slipping in when they demand another book after you've already read two and you might run out of time.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good storytime book. I used it for a space theme and definitely elaborated on the simple text. There is a lot to talk about with the pictures.

[Calvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read as my mom lifts me higher, higher, higher!

Read at Bridgeton Trails Library Lap Time with Miss Tess.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prefer my picture books with a few more words, unless the art is amazing. Doable for storytime, I'm sure, but I don't think I'll use it.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girl on the swing went unbelievably high! B

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable book about a toddler's perception of swinging. Should work for baby storytime.

[Desiree Wills Velazco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick read about a child who insists on going higher and higher on the swings till she is in outer space.

[Evelyn]

Cute illustrations. My 4-year-old Godson liked it.

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The dad push the girl and she go in space. I like this book." --Isaac, age 3

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytime:
Imagination
Playing Outside

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the books with the least words have the most opportunity for interaction. Great for a 2 year old.

[Olivia McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that she was swinging so high even to outer space and that she was with her daddy because I love my daddy!