In-Between Things by Priscilla Tey - ADVISABLE

In-Between Things by Priscilla Tey. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2018. $17. 9780763689834

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

This book offers lots of creative in-between examples with rhyming text, such as a dog between the cat on his back and the carpet beneath his paws, or a fort filled with light that separates you from the monsters at night. It progresses from a literal understanding of the concept to more abstract meanings, such as a boundary, pathway, mashup, or movement along a continuum. Examples include a fish bowl, a bridge, a spork, and a dimly lit sky that is not quite night nor day. The stylized, delightfully quirky illustrations feature a large brown dog and a black and gray striped cat on most spreads that are exploring their world, inside and out and in-between.

Though the text is a little long, the movement to a more and more abstract understanding of the concept fosters critical thinking, and invites the reader to look at their world, and their place in it, in new ways.

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian