A visual delight, this picture book offers openings for conversation about wishes, predictions, and ones own enviable strengths.School Library Journal **Starred Review** What child has not daydreamed about having wings like a butterfly? But secretly, the flashy butterfly yearns for a stick insects privacy. And the stick insect wants to swim like a whirligig beetle. One after the other, the denizens of bestselling author-illustrator Mies van Houts vibrant garden landscape wish to be like somebody else. From the glowing firefly to the capable spider to the adorable ladybugs, each one brings something to be admired. And when the dragonfly wishes to be like a child who can run, play, laugh, and build, a world of possibilities opens up. A gentle but effective story for social emotional learning, If Only allows children to reach their own conclusions and acknowledge that while its common to compare ourselves to others, its best to remember and celebrate what we ourselves can do. The imaginative narrative guides viewers through a series of richly colorful, dynamic collages, each showcasing a creature and its particularly enviable ability, characteristic, or situation.Originally published in the Netherlands, this radiant picture book has international appeal.Booklist **Starred Review**

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US kindergarten-2nd grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 4-7 years.

There are 32 pages in this book.

This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+).

This book was published in 2023 by Pajama Press .

Mies van Hout studied at the Arts Academy in Groningen. She works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. Mies van Hout's work has been published in more than twenty countries.