This is a beautiful surreal picture book. The illustrations are thoughtful and fun, and sometimes downright weird. This book will insprire giggles and deep thought. I can see this being used in conjunction with an art lesson or to get kids talking after a read aloud.

I loved everything about this book! The illustrations are so beautiful. The very whimsy of it all makes for great conversations. My cousin is a speech therapist and I recommended it to her. I sat and had such fun conversations with my kids, my students, even other adults. This book has a way of making you feel like a kid again, it’s so full of imaginable possibilities. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

If... is simple yet evocative. The first time I read through this book, I felt pulled in two different directions. On the one hand, I wanted to sit and stare at the pages without blinking. On the other, I was eager to discover what else this book had to offer. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking, and I wish I could frame every single page and hang them around the house. It's like the author combined the silliness of Alice in Wonderland with the feeling of walking through a museum.

I recently learned this book celebrated it's 25th anniversary, and I'm really surprised I haven't stumbled across it before now. If... has profoundly impacted my perception of the world, and it's made me consider various other what ifs that are not addressed within the pages of this book. I am ecstatic that I get to share this wonderful work of art with my children, and introduce them to a new way of thinking that nurtures their imaginations.

My favorites: If dogs were mountains... & If caterpillars were toothpaste... They're all fantastic, but those would be my top two. My only complaint would be that I ran out of pages! Additionally, the Reader's Guide at the end was interesting and educational, but explained in a way that made you want to know and learn more. I cannot praise this book enough, and if it's something you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing, please do yourself a favor and borrow it from the library or just buy it outright.

This is a sparsely worded book at less than a 100 words, if you do not include the newly added Reader’s Guide at the end of the book for this edition (which is also fascinating, by the way!). And not one complete sentence in those less than 100 words too……

But this book is all about the illustrations, and of course those short pithy ‘If...’ questions next to them that together are bound to lead to much longer discussions and exercises in out-of-the-box creativity!

Opening this book is like looking into a child’s actively imaginative mind and having it pop out at you in brilliant colors. Consider these examples from the book that range from the sweetness of mountains that are giant sleeping dogs to the total grossness (for adults at least) of mice as your hair!!

The book effortlessly takes you on a trip to the great land of imagination, to the start of the wonderful and weird conversations you can have with little ones (or even with other adults), to get yourself or anyone to bend their minds a little more, or – to use the cliched phrase – step out of the box completely! This makes it a great resource for inspiring creativity for your art projects as well as writing exercises, as well as to simply enjoy it!

In Summary
Surreal, outlandish, weird, enjoyable, surprising, beautiful, magical, unsettling, whimsical and totally, totally out-of-the-box imaginative and creative.

So yes, go ahead and invite your imagination with If… by Sarah Perry, for it is a must-have for every creative’s and every child’s bookshelf.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley and Getty Books for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

How did I miss this little gem over the years? What a wonderful flight of imagination! It's oddness would be enjoyed by children of all ages. Loved the illustrations!

This book definitely delves deep into the imagination and urges you to let go of any tethers to the real world if only so you can fully enjoy the book. The illustrations were far more substantial than the text by itself; and together they create a wonderful book that truly does have multiple stories as it is stated at the end of the book. Each page and each illustration begs your curiosity and creativity. It was an experience to read this book and I would definitely recommend this book to kids because they are so much better at letting go of any inhibitions and fall face first into stories that barely mirror their reality.
The cover especially drew me to this book and I'm so glad it was made in such an eye-catching manner that I couldn't skip it.
I have not read the first and original edition, but I definitely appreciate this second edition. Happy 25th anniversary of this book to the author, I'm sure it will do well with the readers of today!

<i>*Thank you to the publishers; Getty Publications, the author; Sarah Perry, and Netgalley for my free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.</i>

Breathtaking and surreal, this is a glorious reprint of a children's picture book. The illustrations are amazing watercolours, in which anything can happen.

This is such a fun book, filled with imaginative images that invite dreaming up stories to go with them. In this 25th anniversary edition, we get new illustrations, plus a reader's guide to some of the secrets and hidden things within the illustrations throughout the book. Great fun for all ages!

#If #NetGalley

Sarah Perry’s “If…” captures the endless imagination of young children quite wonderfully, bringing to life all of those “what if” thoughts with interesting and bizarre illustrations.

If cats could fly… If turtles were magnetic… If dreams were visible…

Reading this book will surely inspire kids in the 3-7 age range to invent and explore more creative ideas about life.


Thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for sending me a free digital copy of this book to read and review.

Somehow, I had never seen this book until now, the 25th anniversary, and I think it's great. Very surreal and I love the concentration on animals. That being said, if you are truly supposed to imagine these scenarios as real, it can get a bit horrifying! The one that stood out right away was 'If caterpillars were toothpaste.' Well, naturally if that were the case we'd smush them against our teeth and they would die and we'd have animal guts all around our mouth which would probably make us sick. So...I feel like maybe that one isn't as magical as some of the other examples. I mean, how can that end up well for us or the caterpillar? It's kind of the same thing with 'If butterflies were clothes.' As soon as we sat down, they would be crushed. If they fly about at their own whimsy, would that leave us nude? So with these few exceptions, it's quite enjoyable, albeit a bit dated. Worth a look!

I remember this book! I am so happy that it is available for a new generation of writing workshop teachers. I am certainly going to share it with my preservice teachers. It cries out of imagining, exploring and reaching down deep for your surreal illustration, which of course, you have to write about. What a treasure!

I received an electronic copy from Getty Publications through NetGalley.
An updated 25th edition of Perry's book.
So much to see in these amazing illustrations and read the accompanying text. Readers can write further stories to go with each drawing. Readers can even combine pictures to spin larger tales. Perry encourages independent thinking and creativity as readers explore the details in the illustrations and then push farther with their own imaginations.

Great art work with a lot of fantasies. This book is gorgeous! I had to smile more than once to see things coming to life. Many thoughts and illustrations, starting with If... Marvelous works!

4 stars

Memorable illustrations! What an imaginative art!

As I went through each page with my son, it made us smile.
I asked my son the suggested question, we looked at the illustration, and we played to imagine stories or other possible perspectives. Some illustrations were really our favorites, like "If dogs were mountains”, "If hummingbirds told secrets" “If fish were leaves”.

Imagination is one of our most valuable capacities that make us stand out as humans, that allowed us to reach the moon and from where so many inventions are born to solve problems or give us comforts. In these times of global crisis, it is essential to nurture and develop this skill in children, since constructive imagination and innovation are essential and essential for professional development, entrepreneurship and business success.

My sincere appreciation to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

This anniversary version of IF, Sarah Perry’s iconic children’s picture book, is a wild ride of color, weird images and clever text. Feels a bit psychedelic actually. It holds your attention through its originality and beautiful illustrations. A must-have for those who dig fantastical art.

Pub Date 03 Mar 2020

Grateful to Getty Publications and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#If #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an electronic copy of the @5th Anniversary Edition.

This is an incredible book that is truly as lovely to read as it is to look at. There are some really thought provoking "if" statements that are accompanied by such beautiful illustrations. As an educator I love the Readers' Guide at the end. There are little prompts to encourage deep thinking that would make for excellent writing prompts as well. This will be a gem for sure in my classroom library.

Exquisite paintings that boggles the mind...images of whales swimming in outer space and so much more! Creativity can be limitless for those who dare. The word “if” is so powerful and this book encourages us all to dare.

A wonderful addition for any library. Love it!

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

Excellent illustrations and wonderful colors. The font was well spaced and easy to read. It's great study in surrealism.

Overall, 4/5 stars- the deduction is due to the "toe teeth" and the "caterpillar toothpaste" grossing me out. There are some things that should never be put on paper.

Simply stunning. The 25th-anniversary release of a classic, beautifully-illustrated, incredibly imaginative picture book—one you'll want to visit again and again. If turtles were magnetic, if music could be held, if worms had wheels, if ugly were beautiful (a warthog with a diamond tiara is shown), if dogs were mountains, if cats could fly, etc. Sarah Perry brings us phenomenal drawings of these and other what "if" scenarios. Five stars.

I love this strange little book, it's beautiful. For a picture book it really opens the door for lots of discussion. Firstly to open the narrative to explain concepts such as braille that is mentioned in the book, hopefully in a way that makes it fun to learn. I also just love the idea of sitting down with a child and making up your own stories based on the images you see. Some of the illustrations are definitely out there, but the artwork is beautiful and has potentially to create a truly special connection with your small person.