In-between things by Priscilla Tey

Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763689834
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Words. Adventure. Curiosity. A sumptuously presented picture book which humorously plays with the word between, inviting readers to see what is in-between the everyday. Between marvelously attractive end papers, a cat and a dog romp through the pages, asking the reader to look in-between with them. The chair is between the parrot and carpet, while the carpet is between the chair and the floor, but looking between the carpet and the floor they find things that they would prefer stay there: a dust ball, fur ball and clump of hair. Going down the stairs into the cellar reveals a pile of things between the two floors, while over the page, the idea of between separating two things is proposed, showing examples of several things that certainly need something between them.
Each page shows the two animals exploring their domain, pointing out the importance of things in-between.
With stunningly luminous illustrations, Tey presents a book that younger children will adore, searching out all the between things on each page, making connections between the everyday things they see. Tey loves word play and in this book she gives full reign to those words to do with between: middle, inside and outside, words to do with household objects, and some about warm and cold, night and day. For younger readers this will be a treat, learning new words as they read of what is between, and having it read a loud, will invoke much discussion.
Fran Knight