Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

Inside, Outside, Upside Down is a Bright and Early Book for Beginning Beginners, and that line could not be more aptly named. On the scale of picture books, Inside, Outside, Upside Down is at the very bottom. This isn't a Cat in the Hat; this isn't even a One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Any child who has been reading independently for more than a year will find this book to be below their reading level (though they may still enjoy the scant plot if they're young enough and/or enjoy the Berenstain Bears), and any parent reading this book to a child will likely find it insufferably dull and repetitive.

I do, however, recommend this to parents looking to read to their infants/toddlers for the first few times, or parents whose children are just about ready to start reading independently but aren't ready to handle a picture book of average complexity.