Out, Out, Away From Here

PreS-Gr 1—A young redheaded girl explains that there are days when she feels mad, others when she is sad, and still others when she feels "smiling-ear-to-ear glad." Occasionally, she feels a whirling mixture of all of these complex emotions. To cope on these particularly confusing days, she takes herself "Out, Out Away from Here" and imagines herself in a calming fantastical world. There, the tall trees become small, and mountains made of anxieties are overcome. Miao's expressionistic paintings first establish a connection with readers by accurately mirroring everyday emotions; in the text, Woodworth articulates the sensations much like how kids would think of them, too. The pair's efforts then switch to coaxing readers toward a better frame of mind. Miao first uses a palette of calming bluish-greens, then heartwarming reds and browns, while Woodworth makes excellent use of onomatopoeia, alliteration, and tricolons to make the text sound especially pleasing to listeners.