Stuck Inside - by Sally Anne Garland (Hardcover)

About the Book

"What do you do when you're STUCK INSIDE and all the fun is outside? Tilly has to stay in until a big storm passes by. Her pup Toby has to stay in until his sore paw gets better. And there is absolutely, positively nothing fun to do. Then a hopeful Toby brings Tilly his leash, and Tilly gets an idea! With delightful illustrations, this sweet story of exploration, creativity, and seeing old things in a new light will spark the imagination of any child who feels 'stuck.'"--

Book Synopsis

What do you do when you're STUCK INSIDE and all the fun is outside? Tilly has to stay in until a big storm passes by. Her pup Toby has to stay in until his sore paw gets better. And there is absolutely, positively nothing fun to do. Then a hopeful Toby brings Tilly his leash, and Tilly gets an idea! With delightful illustrations, this sweet story of exploration, creativity, and seeing old things in a new light will spark the imagination of any child who feels "stuck."

Review Quotes

MKTG approved copy: "...kids will...appreciate her creative endeavors and be empowered to bolster their own moods by finding entertainment through imaginative play." - Booklist

Tilly's dog, Toby, has an injured paw, plus it's storming, which means staying indoors, something neither is happy about. But when Toby draws Tilly's attention to his leash, she's inspired to search the house for other outdoor-related things. After rediscovering abundant objects and toys designed for outdoor fun, they "decided to make something good out of what they had." With a bicycle, wading pool, balls, and a broken umbrella, they assemble "the most amazing, astounding, and spectacular Dog-Walking, Storm-Protecting Machine"-and they imagine fun outdoor activities to come once the weather clears, all while enjoying and making the most of their time inside. Expressive, colorfully detailed, soft-textured illustrations are a mix of muted and cheery hues, incorporating some whimsy and extending the text. Though adults might be bothered by the lack of parental supervision at Tilly's house, or her somewhat risky choices, like standing on a skateboard while also wearing roller skates and balancing numerous objects, kids will likely still appreciate her creative endeavors and be empowered to bolster their own moods by finding entertainment through imaginative play. - Shelle Rosenfeld

--Booklist "https: //www.booklistonline.com/Stuck-Inside-Sally-Anne-Garland/pid=9741042" (1/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

MKTG approved copy: "Encouraging and timely." - Kirkus Reviews

Cooped up indoors, a child and a dog track down a broad array of objects. Toby, a small gray dog with white and black highlights and fitted with a protective lampshade collar, can't go out because his paw is injured. Tilly, a pale pink child with rosy cheeks and dark brown pigtails, must stay inside "until the big storm passe[s]." Their house is huge and gloomy with nary an adult in sight-what can they do? Staying indoors, they explore, looking for items related to the outdoors. Behind "doors that had always seemed closed" and drawers they've never touched, they find "dusty things long forgotten" and "things they had not noticed" a skateboard, a cane, roller skates, broken umbrellas, and a deflated wading pool. They "tweak...and twiddle" their treasures into a glorious contraption: "The most amazing, astounding, and spectacular Dog-Walking, Storm-Protecting Machine!" Tilly and Toby's quandary and solution may provide acknowledgement and inspiration for readers spending loads of involuntary time indoors during the coronavirus pandemic-although those readers are unlikely to live in Tilly and Toby's countryside setting, which has no streets, buildings, or other houses. Garland's copious and varied rough-but-soft textures on every surface enhance the feeling of rain outdoors and a day that's hard to swim through while the gently bright colors show Tilly's creativity and the still-present possibility of fun. The unnecessarily explicit message at the closing is easy to skim over. Encouraging and timely. (Picture book. 3-8)

--Kirkus Reviews "https: //www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sally-anne-garland/stuck-inside/" (10/27/2020 12:00:00 AM)

MKTG approved copy: "The book celebrates the power of the imagination and shows us that "being stuck" is a state of mind." - The English Association

Toby the dog has been fitted with a protective lampshade collar and can't go outside because he has hurt his paw. Tilly has to stay inside too until the big storm is over. They are both bored and glum. How can they fill the time when all the fun seems to be outside? They start to look for things that relate to being outside. Gradually they find items they had forgotten, under the bed, on the top of shelves, and in places they had never explored before. When they examine their booty, and new possibilities dawn. They create new contraptions, and plan new games. Eventually they construct "The most amazing, astounding, and spectacular Dog-Walking, Storm-Protecting Machine!" They play with it for so long that they forget they were "stuck indoors". Charming illustrations are the perfect match for the uplifting text. The book celebrates the power of the imagination and shows us that "being stuck" is a state of mind. Perfect for those of us who have spent time cooped up inside. Brenda Marshall

--The English Association "https: //englishassociation.ac.uk/stuck-inside-written-and-illustrated-by-sally-anne-garland/" (5/15/2021 12:00:00 AM)

Play. Imagination. Lockdown.
This isn't specifically about lockdown, but could certainly be used to talk about feelings around isolation with younger children. A little girl is stuck inside because of bad weather and her pet dog has hurt his paw. What fun can they have, stuck inside? As it turns out, there's lots of fun to be had! A very joyful book with engaging illustrations and a lovely message to boot.
Jo Sennitt

--The School Librarian Magazine "The School Librarian Magazine" (9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Sally Anne Garland grew up in a small town called Alness in the Highlands of Scotland. According to her parents, her first really good drawing, at the age of four, was a large mural in crayon on the sitting-room wall. She went on to study Illustration and Graphic Design at Edinburgh College of Art before settling in Glasgow, where she lives with her partner and their son. Stuck Inside was inspired by her interest in the small world children inhabit, the way the simplest things can be so new and exciting, and how the best fun often begins when children are at their most bored. When she's not drawing or writing stories, she has fun reading books or watching movies INSIDE, and going on walks OUTSIDE.