What Fits Inside

"WHAT GOES INSIDE? is an intriguing exploration of items that belong inside something specific, from the fridge to the firehouse to the pirate ship. The book begins with Bruno the dog, who is very curious about what goes inside all these places you can't see within. He then asks what goes inside certain places or objects, and the opposite page is a tetris-style image that explores many of the items that could be inside.

What I loved: The premise of Bruno was a really cute way to set this up, and the selection of objects and places is quite clever. I also really appreciated that all the tetris-style objects are labeled, which makes it so much easier to answer children's questions about what specific objects are. Caregivers can definitely mix this up by asking children to point to some of the objects that are in their own toolboxes/fridges or what they think are the most important objects in specific locations, or other simple games as they travel through the book. The story adds some whimsy with a book of fairytales, a pirate ship, and other clever ideas. This ends up being more of an interactive read with children driving what they want to hear more about.

Final verdict: An intriguing journey through the things inside, WHAT GOES INSIDE? is an interactive read that can be tailored to the reader with a cute premise." ―YA Books Central

"What Goes Inside? by Magda Gargulakova was such a fun book for me and my baby to read together. The artwork is so bold and colorful, which really helped keep my little one engaged. And as a parent I loved the artwork myself! It was a fun interactive read that we could both play along with, and it was just as enjoyable for adults as for the kids. It was fun to ask my baby to name things, and then we could find them on the next page. Would definitely recommend it to other parents!" ―Amanda A, Reviewer

"In this high concept picture book, a narrator named Bruno asks us to think about what’s inside the many containers we see everyday (Bruno is a White, hipster dude, complete with beret and sunglasses). His dog is going to help us investigate a series of objects (shown on the left side of the page) and their contents (shown on the right side of the page in minute detail). We start with a fridge, which faces a mind-boggling array of tiny food pictures, including broccoli, fish, yogurt, mustard, and milk. Then we’re on to a washing machine and here the pictures start to include some droll asides; in addition to dresses, sweaters, and socks, there’s forgotten money and washed passports. The bright digital art is clear and snappy and children who enjoy chatting as they identify everyday items will have a field day pouring over the illustrations. Other highlights include a pirate ship (complete with a multiracial and multi-gender crew), a fire truck, a henhouse, and a hiking backpack." ―Youth Services Book

"A dog named Bruno invites the reader to explore what goes inside various containers and places. We look inside a fridge, a washing machine, and a toolbox. We explore items in a classroom, a gym, and a camper. We even take a look inside an Inuit igloo! I think my favorite places to look inside were the artist’s suitcase and the rock band’s van, because I am a musician and my brother is an artist. I also really loved looking inside a book of fairy tales and identifying Snow White, Cinderella, and other fairy tale characters! The illustrations are so cute! The art work is bright and sunny. I can’t quite explain why, but there is such an atmosphere of cheerfulness in this book. I love the organized way that all the items are laid out and labeled on the page. It makes my perfectionist heart so happy! There are a LOT of things on each page, which makes it fun to hunt around and look for each little thing. The best thing about this book will be reading it with a little reader, and having fun naming all the items as they learn to identify everything." ―Luminous Libro

"What Goes Inside? is a perfect opportunity for young kids to challenge their minds and creativity on each page. It is a fun story that allows for conversation, silliness, and discovery. This is a book that I would love to have in my classroom. I can see the students engaging, having fun and being able to create follow up activities from this book easily. What Goes Inside? is going to be a hit!" ―Jenna Z, Reviewer

"What goes inside? is a STEM book that encourages children to be curious. In this book, a dog Bruno tries to imagine what is inside common household items like a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a bathroom cabinet, to name a few. The dog also imagines what could be inside unconventional places such as an igloo, a book of fairy tales, and a pirate ship to name a few. I like the wealth of information in this book, however, the illustrations of the list of things felt a little bit crowded, with too much information on one page. This book can also be used in activities where children are asked to imagine what's inside an enclosed space and then verify." ―Soumya G, Reviewer

"This book is absolutely adorable! The illustrations are fresh and fun! The idea of talking about object permanence and what goes inside other objects is great for toddlers. My favorite part is what goes inside a tool box! I think that this book would be great for any child who is learning to read or talk :)" ―Gabrielle B, Reviewer

"What Goes Inside (in English) is a delight to the eyes. I would've adored this book as a child and kept returning to it even past its intended audience age. Perfect for learning colors and shapes and vocabulary." ―Callie Anna O, Reviewer

"As a former reading and language teacher, I thought this book was perfect for vocabulary and identifying categories.  I loved the colorful illustrations, and the enjoyable verses about all of the things one might find within a larger item.  It reminded me a bit of A House is a House for Me, or an illustrated dictionary for children. This would be a great accompaniment to games such as "I'm Going to Grandma's House", or Find the Missing Object games. I highly recommend this for classrooms, speech-language pathologists, libraries, and families with young children who want to learn the name of all kinds of things!" ―Carolyn C, Librarian