The illustrations are absolutely stunning and full of detail. I loved that it focussed on the natural world. Very imaginative and creative, leading to an eventual dream about what would happen if...

Whenever I feel down, I read children's books. If... by Sarah Perry is one of those books that will stay with you and it will make you dream about all the ifs in your life. This would make a perfect present for all children and new mothers. The illustrations are very well done. Highly recommended.

5 Blazing Stars for "If..." !

Holy moly, what an amazing ride is this book! It's been a long while since I've opened a book and turned to the first page and immediately placed upon my face the largest smile possible. This book does that for every single page!

But moreover, this book is a family game night just waiting to happen with young children and old!

What if frogs ate rainbows? The art shows us one possibility for what that could look like, but what stories that could fetch from a mind's eye! What if leaves were fish, or ugly was beautiful? What stories would they tell? What characters would they meet?

This book takes the concepts of Dali and shrinks it to size, earths that idea into possible new ways of thinking. I saw this was a Getty Museum feature, and thought it would at least be beautiful. I had zero idea of the feast awaiting inside this book. This book could make for fantastic "rainy lunchtime" classroom games, or perfect pizza night childhood entertainment, or just be a great adult fantasy writer's prompt!



Walking a museum should be a given for every child. Unfortunately it is not. This book takes the gifts of what should be gained in museum adventure and brings it to your sofa or bedtime story potential with your children of all ages. Yes, start with perusing the book. But don't stop there. Let this book be a springboard to joining unexpected concepts and new stories to be had. After all, isn't that what gifts the world new technology, new ideas to save what seems unsavable, the conjunction of what seems so disparate, the joining of the impossible?

The interior art is fantastic. I do wish they'd chosen a more "punchy" piece for the cover. The cover art translates wonderfully when inspected on the interior, up close, but loses some steam when rendered in thumbnail, as is the way these days. So know that the cover is a weak symbol of the powerful interior. Dive in.

This book is a magnificent wonder. Buy it, even for your adult sole self.

If...by Sarah Perry
25th Anniversary Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Out Now!

Description from NetGalley...
“Take a fantastical journey where anything can happen: leaves turn into fish, cats fly with wings, humans have tails, and dreams become visible
 
First published in 1995, Sarah Perry’s delightful picture book of “surreal possibilities” was the Getty’s first children’s title and has remained a beloved backlist classic over the course of two decades. Perry’s magical watercolors conjure up a world of limitless possibilities. Children of all ages will enjoy this romp through an inspiring, imaginative world. Reissued to celebrate a remarkable book’s 25th anniversary, this enhanced, expanded, and enlivened edition will appeal to a brand-new generation of readers.”

Thank you to @NetGalley @gettypublications for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This really is a fantastical book. The cover gives you a glimpse at the imagination you will find in this book. Kids love imagining and creating, and this book will encourage them to further broaden their minds and imagine even more. Adults can have so much fun with kids using this book. This book is thought-provoking, with great illustrations and some are even Dali-esque.

Having never seen the original version of If... that was created 25 years ago I can only really rate this book with how I feel about it as an adult now.
I thought the illustrations were great and some were very beautifully detailed. It is a a fairly simple book with If statements on each double page with some outlandish picture for eg. "If caterpillars were toothpaste" or "If dogs were mountains". I can appreciate how this could spark some imagination in children but as an adult I'm unsure what message the book is trying to convey. The 25th anniversary has some new illustrations and an authors note section in the back.
Thanks to netgalley.com and Getty Publications for this review copy.

Sarah Perry’s surrealist work is an attractive enough picture book, which is now being reissued in honour of its 25th anniversary. I’d never before heard of the book, and having now read it, I don’t think I was missing out on much. There is no plot, nothing to hold a collection of outlandish “what if” propositions together. Children might enjoy the work, and teachers might like using Perry’s ideas as a model for students to create their own fanciful speculations and images. Beyond that, however, I don’t see much point in the book. I’m a bit surprised it’s endured for a quarter of a century. I’d say you can safely pass on this one.

I was finally able to download and open this book. I am so happy that this worked because the illustrations are simply beautiful. I enjoy going through this book with my 5 year old grandson.

A deceptively understated book, If... by Sarah Perry inspires readers to imagine a fantastical world of “what if’s” that will have children laughing and adults reminiscing their childhood imagination. With beautiful illustrations and themes, this book is a lesson in slowing down and revisiting the joy and wonderment that made the childhood experience so lovely; I even had to do a double take of the cover halfway through the book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

As an adult I found some of the images a little creepy but I can completely see how t would appeal to children whose mind are constantly questioning how and why.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of thought provoking and wondrous pieces, full of fascinating details.

This book has wonderful illustrations. It's unusual, strange but it is entertaining. Reading this book make me feel like I am in a completely different world where fishes are leaves, where whales lives in outer space, where the moon is square, etc. It is a highly imaginative book and helps the kids to be creative. It is wild and fun! The reason of why I gave it a 3 stars is because I just don't feel it is for me. But I really think a lot of kids would love this book :) It is the book that parents can talk about with their kids. Perhaps having an interesting and fun conversation? :D.
All in all, a great great book!

This is such a wonderful book for exploring silly or thoughtful questions, stretching imagination, and visualizing these new ideas. Each simple "If" statement is paired with a creative and beautiful illustration, and those were really engrossing. They brought out giggles and thoughtful reactions from my young son.

Thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an old favorite that always seems to do well with K-6th grades, so I'm very pleased to see that it is being reprinted. There's nothing like a caterpillar perched on a toothbrush, spiders reading Braille, and toes for teeth to provoke an uproarious response!
The new version has 2 additional spreads (I love the turtle!) and end notes that invite further reflection.

This is such a cute children' book! It allows children to imagine all sorts of things, even the 'impossible' ones. The illustrations are extremely beautiful as well, I was mesmerised. Rating: 5/5 stars.

LOVED this! I'm definitely going to use it in my Language Arts classroom, I just have to figure out how...

Dear God, how did I somehow miss this book over the past 25 years? It is an absolutely stunning piece of work and needs to be a part of every child's library! It stretches the imagination with wacky ideas like what would happen if frogs ate rainbows and then turns them into illustrated interpretations of each statement. The drawings/paintings are breathtakingly beautiful and really make you think. You could have so many discussions about different ways to interpret each of these sayings and try to create your own interpretations. Plus the book is almost open-ended, allowing you to think of even more on your own. And again, it just gorgeous. I think my favorites are the dogs as mountains and holding music. Although the toes as teeth is amusing. They are all just wonderful and a great introduction to surreal art, which is one of my favorite styles.

There's a Readers' Guide at the end of this with some explanations as well as other thought-provoking questions.

I quite emphatically give this book 5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful picture book book that would work wonderfully as a stimulus for creative writing and art work.

'If...' by Sarah Perry is a picture book that makes the reader pause and think, and has done so for 25 years!

The whimsical cover of a tree with leaves made of fish drew me in. From there, I was introduced to flying cats and magnetic turtles and other wonders. Each page offered strange wonders and and an open ended sentence, like 'If dogs were mountains....' Imagination and creativity abounds here and encourages the reader to think differently.

The book ends with a readers' guide into The Secrets of If.... The pictures are ones you might just pass over, then you notice the odd details. I really enjoyed pausing to read this.

I received a review copy of ebook from Getty Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this wonderful ebook.

A beautiful book about unleashing you imagination and creativity. With a series of prompts pairing unusual and disparate things, and followed by lovely illustrations to match, "If..." can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I envision this book as a fun starting point or conversation starter for teachers, parents, and even for personal mind-jogging.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book left me wowed. It was a wonderful and strange book, exploring what ifs and reminding the reader it's always nice to dream on and enjoy the worlds only existing in dreams. This is not only for children but for anyone at any age, who enjoys a bit of adventure. Highly recommend this book.