I'm not gonna lie, the cover itself is what pulled me towards this book. The very strange fish on a plant esthetic had me curious, and with a title like "If..." - the suspense was killing me.

Apparently it was made back in the 90s, so I'm shocked I never picked it up as a kid. I devoured books as a child, but my city wasn't super diverse in it's library offerings. Lucky me, I get to pick up this book so many years later!

This story presents many "what if" scenarios like cats flying and magnetic turtles. The pictures are beautiful and the story is soft, simple and sweet. This book is definitely for a very young audience, but it's a very fun book. I could see three to five year olds bonding with parents and reading buddies over this joyful little book.

My biggest positives:
1. The art is FANTASTIC. The Siamese cat flying was beautifully drawn, and that's just one of many. Add that to the wild cover page, and you've got some wildly beautiful art. It didn't feel like a picture book, because it was just so darn pretty.

2. The creativity of some of these what ifs is absolutely wild. Worms with wheels?! I never wouldh ave imagined it. I am totally impressed. Except for my only negative of the book.

3. The braille shout-out! I totally approve and got super excited to see that splash of diversity! That's not a word I see too often and man am I proud!

4. The Reader's Guide at the end was very interesting to read as an adult reader. The kids might not like it as much, but I was intrigued. It had me thinking like a kid again!

My (obviously very personal) negatives:
1. Mice... as... hair... What? Why? Who thought of this?! Honestly, I'm curious. I'm horrified. My hair as mice?...

Overall, I'd say this is a must read picture book. It stands in line with Robert Munsch's classics, The Hungry Caterpillar, Grandma and the Pirates (my personal fave) and other wonderful popular books. This book is unique, full of creativity and imagination, and totally thought provoking. We need more books like If... littering the shelves of children everywhere.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for this awesome opportunity to pick up this literary classic. ( )

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book is very eye catching, but what I love the most is the stories within stories in the pictures ("If mountains were dogs" making an appearance in "If Clouds were spirits"; 88 ants in the number 8 in "If Ants could count", etc.). The cover is absolutely magnificent, and it embodies the whimsical and imaginative mind-bending experience within. This book whet my appetite for other works by Sarah Perry. ( )

This is a great reprint.
This is a great book for helping bend your imagination.
Some of the artwork has been used in examples or other famous works.
The imagination is tested by the images and words to make you think out of the box. ( )

picture book
both 3rd grade classes and the mixed grade (1st-6th) group loved this book.
update: 1st grade classes were totally slayed. I don't know if the teachers approved of me riling up their students like that, but it sure was fun to see the kids reacting so strongly (and loudly) to each page. ( )

In this thought provoking book, the author offers ideas from an alternative universe and then illustrates. These alternative ideas include, "If butterflies were clothes..." and "If mice were hair." Find out which of these "if" statements is the most thought provoking or outrageous.