Review - Window

Window
by Marion Arbona
Date: 2020
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

In this wordless picture book, extraordinary things are happening behind the windows of the city.

A young girl is walking home from school in a big city. As she gazes up at window after window in the buildings on her route - each one a different shape and size - she imagines what might be going on behind them. By opening the gatefold, readers will get to see inside her imagination. An indoor jungle. A whale in a bathtub. Vampires playing badminton.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a nice little wordless picture book that shows a little girl imagining what's going on behind all the windows she sees as she walks home.

The black-and-white illustrations are detailed and interesting, and tell a story fairly well without using any words at all. I read this as an e-book, however, and it definitely doesn't work as well as it probably does as a paper book. Each spread really needs to be viewed in its entirety, and it looks like there are flaps to lift to reveal the different scenes hiding behind each window. (There are just some features that e-books can't replicate.)

If you can find a paper copy of this, I'd recommend taking a look. As wordless picture books go, it's fairly strong, and kids will have fun seeing the imaginative scenes lurking behind each of the varied windows.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: n/a
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.4 out of 5