Sometimes It’s Nice To Be Alone written lyrically by Amy Hest and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Philip Stead is a lovely story about a young girl who knows all about the beauty of doing things alone as well as with friends. The active friends in this story are an elephant, a horse, a whale, a bear, a dinosaur, an allegator and a giraffe!
The reader sees the little girl by herself as well as with a friend. “Sometimes it’s nice to be alone. Just you eating your cookie, alone. But what if a friend pops in? Well, sometimes it’s nice when a friend pops in, and there you are, eating your cookie with a friend.” In this case the little girl is cookie-sharing with an elephant.
When the little girl decides to swing while reading her book, she is joined by a friendly blue horse who gives her a playful ride while she continues to read.
Philip Stead’s illustrations, done by hand using monoprint techniques, are full of touching details and super- lush colors as the little girl is busy doing summersaults with a whale, riding bikes with a bear, playing in the leaves with a dinosaur, and spying on the world with a giraffe from a two-story tree house! The illustration of the treehouse is Stead at his very best!
Sometimes It’s Nice to be Alone written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Philip Stead is a thoughtful picture book about the beauty of both spending time alone and spending time with friends. It is designed for children 4-8 years of age (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House) 2023.
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Activity Questions for Sometimes It’s Nice To Be Alone
Creative movement is always fun for everyone: Do each of these movements from the story in a safe place with a lot of room:
Do summersaults in the grass.
Spin over the leaves with your arms out widely.
Make heel and toe prints in the sand.
Rock back and forth as you read your book on a swing.
Press your face on a window on a very wintery day and feel the cold.
For all Readers: Study the fabulous illustrations of the treehouse both the inside illustration and the outside illustration and answer the following questions: What is the little girl looking at from the inside of the tree house? What item in this picture gives you a clue as to what is important in the second picture? How did the little girl climb the tree house? Why is a giraffe a perfect animal for this picture? If you were to have a treehouse, what would you want it to look like? Go ahead and draw your very own treehouse!
Older Readers: What activities do you like to do all alone? And what activities to you prefer to do with friends?
