The World in Our Backyard

April 15, 2024
It's amazing what you'll see when you step outside. Whether you live in the country, the suburbs, or even the city, you'll find plenty to explore in your backyard. There are forests to hike through (an accompanying image depicts a child gazing at backpack-wearing insects journeying through the grass) and workers making their way through busy streets (a cutaway illustration depicts an underground city populated by ants). You'll find mountains (a child stares at a pile of dirt) and oceans, too, courtesy of a kiddie pool. Music? Just listen to the birds singing in the trees. Waterfalls? Turn on the hydrant in the summer. There are farms (community gardens), secret caves (tents made from quilts), and art galleries (sidewalk chalk drawings), too. When you think about it, almost any place can be a backyard--no matter where you live and regardless of the size of the space. As this story demonstrates, you don't even need grass; all you really need are yards of imagination and a desire to see and do. And every backyard--no matter where--is filled with possibility. Sprightly, colorful digital illustrations and spare but stirring text brim with childlike creativity and wonder. Characters are diverse. There's lots of fun to be had in your own backyard--and in this lively book. (Picture book. 4-7)

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