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This inspiring and instructive picture book affirms and validates independent thinking by giving children permission to think in their own unique ways about things encountered in the world. Through examples, explanations, and illustrations, the message of the book comes through with clarity and power. Each page is packed with scenes that bring to life what it means to think outside the box, a sophisticated concept that is made clear with fun analogies and similes. The figurative language helps to illuminate out-of-the-box thinking for young children. Avery tells children it is like coloring outside the lines on purpose, eating an ice cream cone from the bottom up, or taking things apart to make something new. By the last page, children’s minds will be opened to possibilities and the wonder of their thinking abilities.
With brief text on each page offering instruction for how to think outside the box, the message is accessible and never overwhelming to readers. The accompanying illustrations by Liuba Syrotiuk support the written content with thought-provoking images that highlight unusual views and oddities. Readers will be able to reflect on the message of the text by studying the pictures and considering what is depicted on each page and how it relates to the process of thinking. Syrotiuk’s artwork is engaging and multi-faceted as it celebrates what our thinking brains can do when we feel free to think for ourselves.
The message of creative thinking and problem-solving is timely and on target with current educational reforms intended to wreck traditional views of learning that rely on high stakes tests that are usually multiple choice offerings with one correct and narrow answer only. Schools are embracing personalized learning, analytical thinking, and creative play to help children develop the ability to think critically. This book fits nicely into this mindset and supports the work of teachers and parents who want to celebrate and encourage looking at the world without restrictions and prescriptions for the right way to see things. Schools have also made a shift in recent years to reframe failure as a normal and acceptable part of the process of learning. This book, in line with educational trends, reminds children that making mistakes helps us learn as we try new things. Avery tells children that thinking outside the box means “always being proud of your mistakes. Because they’re just as valuable as every time you get things right.”
As children grapple in the world with new ideas, situations, and problems, this book can help them by providing bold advice and encouraging reminders for them to use their creative minds to think their way out of any confusion and uncertainty. Children will be motivated and moved to be patient, attentive, and open-minded as they tackle any problem. With no shortage of puzzles and problems posed by the world, this picture book can be used in so many settings to help children embrace their own ideas and ways of looking at the world. Avery deftly shifts the popular perception that problems are negative encounters filled with frustration and hopelessness to presenting them as opportunities for children to use their brainpower to find their personal solutions and way forward.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review