I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like the concept of this book. The pictures are colorful and the text flows well.

A story about imagination and dreaming. The little girl imagines all sorts of things when she looks up. Illustrations are bright and colourful.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A young girl looks up in the sky and is filled with questions about what she sees. Lovely illustrations and will probably cause other kids to look up and wonder.

When I Look Up is a fabulous book to encourage children to keep imagining, dreaming and stay positive. Encouraging them to look for the good in all. “I realize I don’t have to look very far for everything that makes me HAPPY”
I had both my teen girls read this as well! Encouraging for all ages. Never stop being positive for our kiddos.

"When I Look Up" is a beautiful picture book that encourages children to view the world around them. In an era where screens demand our attention and our heads are constantly tucked down, this picture book addresses the need to commune with nature, explore the world, and participate in outdoor play and imaginative games.

This book follows a young girl's observations and resulting imaginations of the outside world. A potential result of this book is that it encourages children to pose questions about what they see in the world and exercise their creative thinking. I found the illustrations colorful and warm adding to the enjoyment of the book.

This is a story of a little girl using her sense of sight to imagine all sorts of things. This would be a wonderful story to use in the classroom when talking about the sense of sight, It provides great examples of visualizations of what the young girl is imagining,

This picture book strikes a wonderful balance between dreaming about possibilities and also being accepting and welcoming of what you already have right in front of you. It encourages readers to imagine and wonder, but also to appreciate and be still. I love the variety of ways to look up and the different things to see. I also love that it ends with questions that would lead right into discussions/activities whether you are using this book for storytime, for a lesson or for your own kids at home. It’s a picture book that could be used to inspire adults and coworkers as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own - and well - my four year old daughters.

When I Look Up, written by Ellen Delange, is a fun and colourful story. It is a tale of a little girl and all the interesting things she can see when she looks up. The images are colourful and this book kept my daughter engaged, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to mention all the things she can see when she looks up.

I would recommend this book.

A sweet story that celebrates the power of imagination while encouraging being in the moment and appreciating what you have. The text is accompanied by colorful illustrations. Shared as a read-aloud, this story will surely spark conversations and wondering. What do you see when you look up?

Short review for a short youth book. This was a great read. It starts off as a little girl hopes and dreams and imagines what it is be like to be all sorts of things she finds in the sky or when she looks up. in the end though she realizes that she is happy with what she has. It is a beautiful concept and message that I think should be shared with children.

The images are vibrant and fun and can be interactive with your kids as you read. It will capture their imagination and yours as you read and then end with a wonderful message for everyone to think about.

When I Look Up by Ellen DeLange is a charming children's book that teaches kids how to be happy.


It is for ages 5 and up.
It tells a story of a girl who looks at the sky and all the beautiful things she can see there. Breathtaking nature in all its glory.
And at the end she realizes that all she really cares most about is right in front of her.

I particularly liked this book as it talks about nature, how beautiful it is and how much we should appreciate it.
But most of all it teaches an immensely important lesson that we should be happy with what we got and that happiness is usually right in front of us.
In today's hectic life we all, not just children need books like this to remind us of what's really essential.
Charming illustrations only add to the loveliness of the book.

This book is a great conversation starter for kids. After I read this book to the kids I nanny they begged me to go outside so that they could look up and see what they could find. This book encouraged them to use their imaginations they had a great time looking at the clouds, trees and birds to make up their own stories. I would recommend it for ages 4 to 9. I am grateful that I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review. It definitely opened our eyes to things we forget about in our day to day lives and promotes having fun while being creative.

It started out really cute, but then the colors dulled and without the effect of rhyme it quickly became boring. I wanted to like it, I loved the idea behind it but it just fell flat. The images became kind of awkward as the book progressed (especially the page with the rainbow, it looks like the rainbow is coming out of her head and why is she inside a hole in the ground?). Overall disappointed.

Great idea for a book.
To look beyond where we place our feet. Written for under fives. Time to become emboldened and look outside our known world. To learn to Wish, Imagine, Wonder and Dream. Not easy concepts but shared in a spirit of safety and fun. With the safety net of the here and now, surrounded by things we love and those who love us and keep us safe.
The child in the book does not have a name and her story can be the one each toddler embraces and shared with an adult from a place of security.
This idea of day dreaming is not a idle pleasure or a sense of wanting things others have for ourselves. It is a healthy aspect of humanity and being alive.
We see a plane and long to travel somewhere far away or remember a recent holiday.
I remember going through Hounslow walking to Twickenham for a rugby game. Everyone local was about their business. Every minute or so a large plane passed overhead, airline clearly visible and faces at the windows. No-one seemed to bother with them, zoned out as too common a sound and sight. I looked up every time.
A book to remind us to be children again and engage our imaginations and wonder about the things about us. Words and drawings to engage thoughts and ideas to fashion creativity and dream dreams.

It reminds me of a biblical verse in the prophesy of Joel Chapter2.
The Day of the LORD
Verse 28 “Then it will come about at a later time
that I will pour out my Spirit on every person.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your elderly people will dream dreams,
and your young people will see visions.”

Nothing religious in this book mind but the means to make something of our children through their own imaginations and the freedom to question, wonder and see.

This is a sweet book about a little girl with an active imagination. It was created by the author and illustrator of "I Will Always Be Happy To See You" and is a Dutch import.

She loves to focus on the world around her and in so doing what does she discover when she looks up? She observes a plane flying high in the sky, fluffy clouds on parade, fluttering butterflies among colourful flowers, tiny seedpods floating in the breeze and a pesky fly crawling across the ceiling just to name a few.

She wonders what it would be like to fly in that plane and travel to some undisclosed destination, to join in the animal-cloud parade that is marching across the sky, to dance with the magical butterflies and to float away with the seedpods and see where they are going.

She then transports her mind back to her surroundings and realizes all those things are fun and exciting but :

" I wish...
I imagine...
I wonder...
I dream...
But....everything that makes me HAPPY is right in front of me."


The illustrations are bright and colourful and manage quite aptly to depict a sense of wonderment and joy in the little girl. The positive message of appreciating what you have is one kids need to hear. Sometimes they need prompting to turn off the noise, screens, and activity around them and just lay back.... be still.... and dream. (adults too)

When I Look Up by Ellen DeLange is a a cute book about looking up and seeing what is around us. Colorful and engaging book for you child. My child loved to read the book with me.

Pros: This is a cute story about using your imagination and it is a good book for little ones. It will give them a chance to explore the world up in the sky.

Cons: My kids and I read this book together. They said the animals look more like food and similar to pizza. Also, they wanted it to rhyme, even a little bit would have been great.

Very cute book, with adorable illustrations. Loved all of the things she sees when she looks up. The only part I didn't like was the thud of an ending. All these lovely things she imagines, and it just ends with her being happy with what she sees in front of her.

Thank you Net Galley for the free copy for my honest opinion.

This is a sweet story about using your imagination to wish, imagine, wonder, dream, etc. but also taking a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonderful things right in front of you. The illustrations are bright and colorful. I would recommend for ages 2+.