Picture Book Review: If I Was the Sunshine

Okay so this book is super adorable. It’s really fun because the comparisons that are made aren’t always… well, obvious isn’t the right word. But… on the nose maybe. Some of them are. This one for example “if I was an apple and you were a worm, you’d call me lunch and I’d call you squirm” is pretty simple to get to. Like you might be able to anticipate that one. But “if you were the winter and I was the spring, I’d call you whisper and you’d call me sing” is a little less easily-guessed. It’s honestly a fantastic description of the two seasons in this case, but it’s not the words you’d immediately think of to describe them. Which I really like. The whole book is filled with these clever comparisons and it’s really fun to read!!

The artwork also has these really surprising moments in them as well, where you just did not expect the picture you turn to. Some of the pages do a sort of zoom out for the reveal of the last line in each verse. But some others show a completely different view on the scene. My favorite example of this is the ocean and boat spreads. The zoom out, in this case, takes the mood from wild and dangerous, with waves crashing around this tiny boat… to calm and sweet, with a giant whale keeping the tiny boat afloat in really calm waters. I don’t know why I love it so much, but I do. I also love the firefly page because it’s just beautiful!

Anyway, I especially love this one. I have no doubt it will be chosen often for reading time!