In-between places

In-between places

Alex Killian

Book - 2025

Children explore the concepts of in-between times and places, and the role they play in everyone's journey. Sometimes you know just where you are going. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you find yourself in an in-between place. A place that is neither here nor there. A place where you can go up or down, left or right. So how do you know which way to go? Poetic and reassuring, it reminds us that sometimes we just need to take a leap to land exactly where we're meant to be. It builds confidence by encouraging readers to meet new experiences with an open mind and confidently take on any challenges that come their way. It encourages readers to leap into new beginnings and uplifts any reader who finds themselves navigating an in-bet...ween time. It gives creative and encouraging ways to talk with kids about change, transition, self-doubt, or any milestone moment in their lives--

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Subjects
Belief and doubt > Juvenile fiction.
Experience > Juvenile fiction.
Self-perception > Juvenile fiction.
Life change events > Juvenile fiction.
Life > Juvenile fiction.
Space and time > Juvenile fiction.
Picture books for children.
Belief and doubt > Fiction.
Wisdom > Fiction.
Self-perception > Fiction.
Life > Fiction.
Croyance et doute > Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.
Expérience > Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.
JUVENILE FICTION / General.
Children's stories > Pictorial works.
Picture books.
Genres
Children's stories Pictorial works
Picture books
Published
San Francisco : Chronicle Books [2025]
Language
English
Main Author
Alex Killian (author)
Other Authors
Grady McFerrin (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
Audience
Ages 5-8.
Grades 2-3.
ISBN
9781452172798
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

"Sometimes you'll find yourself in the place/ between where you're going// and where you've been." In this absorbing philosophical picture book focusing on the beauty of transitions, concise prose by Killian describes in-betweenness ("bridges and ladders,/ staircases and slides"), while simultaneously encouraging choice, risk-taking, and patience ("Sometimes in-between places lead/ to just where you wanted to be./ Sometimes they lead/ to more in-between places"). McFerrin's page-filling ink and digital artwork renders text's metaphorical meaning with mesmerizing patterns. On one spread, a mint and teal horizon and sea merge behind a venturing sailboat; on another, figures stare down a tunnel of pink trees. Together, the creative team paints a wondrous vision of the in-between. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5--8. (Apr.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review

The in-between places, we learn, are neither here nor there. They "are not up or down, not in or out. They're not all the way to one side or the other." Killian (This Table, rev. 3/24) goes on to describe what in-between places can be: bridges and ladders; staircases and slides; a long, dark tunnel; dawn and dusk; and even dreams. On one spread, a bus full of people goes in one direction while bicyclers determinedly go in another; you're "between where you're going and where you've been." McFerrin's imaginative illustrations make the most of Killian's open-ended musings. Full-bleed double-page spreads, saturated in bold colors, provide detailed scenes to pore over, from the everyday (a car trip) to the adventurous (a descent by parachute; a hot-air balloon ride) to the fanciful (a dream's make-believe animals). Many images emphasize forward motion such as a spread showing a child mid-launch from a tire swing into a body of blue water. As the text says, eventually you might "choose...to leap!" which can "lead to just where you wanted to be" or "to more in-between places...or somewhere unexpected." There is a world of possibilities. Pair with two other recent contemplative picture books: Volker's Are We There Yet? (rev. 9/23) and Schwartz's Head Full of Clouds (rev. 3/25). Joan YolleckJuly/August 2025 p.78 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Killian and McFerrin lean into the possibilities that live in every transition. Though fully accessible to the youngest of readers and their caregivers, this picture book will be equally appreciated by adults (young or otherwise) who find themselves "in the place between where you're going and where you've been." Playing with images of seesaws, bridges, and tunnels, McFerrin fills each full-bleed spread with saturated color and intricate details. The artwork enlivens the simple text, which begins with confident declaratives--"In-between places are not up or down, not in or out"--before transitioning to a rhythmic sequence of lines focusing on uncertainties, each beginning with "Sometimes" or "You might be." Though each page features a riot of color and patterns, the palette is unified across the book. Relying on elegant yet child-friendly metaphors ("You might be drifting shore to shore on a cool blue sea. A gap between two mountains. A pause between two steps"), Killian acknowledges the difficulty and darkness that might accompany these in-between places but ends on an optimistic note, insisting that "sometimes they lead…somewhere unexpected but bright with possibility." The characters vary in skin tone and family structure. A hopeful book for readers of all ages, perfect for those graduating, moving away, or starting over.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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