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What If?
MULTIPLE STORIES . . . MULTIPLE STORIES. A story about choices from the "Queen of the
Concept Book."—The Horn Book
WHAT IF a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? WHAT IF two seals found it and began to play? WHAT IF a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend?
In this spare and deceptively simple book, Laura Vaccaro Seeger shows us the same story with three different outcomes, each highlighting the possibility in possibilities.Youngest children will enjoy this visit to the beach and the chance to guess what happens when different choices are made.
What If? is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Concept Book."—The Horn Book
WHAT IF a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? WHAT IF two seals found it and began to play? WHAT IF a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend?
In this spare and deceptively simple book, Laura Vaccaro Seeger shows us the same story with three different outcomes, each highlighting the possibility in possibilities.Youngest children will enjoy this visit to the beach and the chance to guess what happens when different choices are made.
What If? is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 2010
2 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Laura Vaccaro Seeger
31 books82 followersLaura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honors for both 2009 and 2008, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book. Her books include First the Egg, The Hidden Alphabet, and Dog and Bear, among others.
Raised on Long Island, New York, Seeger began drawing at two years old and never stopped. For as long as she remembers, she wanted to write picture books. She received her B.F.A. degree at the School of Fine Art and Design at SUNY Purchase in Westchester, New York, and then moved to Manhattan, where she worked as an animator, artist, and editor in the network television business.
Seeger lives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, with her husband, Chris, their two sons, Drew and Dylan, and their dog, Copper. She loves painting, surfing, tennis, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. She takes long walks at the beach every day and paints in her studio every night.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/laurav...
Raised on Long Island, New York, Seeger began drawing at two years old and never stopped. For as long as she remembers, she wanted to write picture books. She received her B.F.A. degree at the School of Fine Art and Design at SUNY Purchase in Westchester, New York, and then moved to Manhattan, where she worked as an animator, artist, and editor in the network television business.
Seeger lives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, with her husband, Chris, their two sons, Drew and Dylan, and their dog, Copper. She loves painting, surfing, tennis, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. She takes long walks at the beach every day and paints in her studio every night.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/laurav...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 19, 2012
Sure, there is loads of repetition in this book, but it is such a dull tale. It is a cause and effect story, but not a very strong one. Two sea lions play with a beach ball. What happens when they continue to play in the ocean? What happens with one leaves to go on the beach? What happens when they include a third sea lion? Anyway, it could have been a lot better, but it fell completely flat.
April 10, 2010
This deceptively simple, almost wordless picture book is actually a lesson in conflict resolution and friendship as three seals, all on the same beach, explore three different outcomes when they meet and decide whether or not to play together.
I had trouble telling the seals apart and had to reread the book several times to understand what was going on with each seal.
I had trouble telling the seals apart and had to reread the book several times to understand what was going on with each seal.
November 3, 2010
WHAT IF a boy found a beach ball & kicked it into the ocean? WHAT IF two seals found it and began to play? WHAT IF a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend? In this spare & deceptively simple book, Laura Vaccaro Seeger shows us the same story with three different outcomes, each highlighting the possibility in possibilities. Youngest children will enjoy this visit to the beach & the chance to guess what happens when different choices are made. (Goodreads summary)
What If? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a nearly wordless picturebook that explores the possibilities of different actions and the possible outcomes, focusing on the concept of exclusion. The illustrations are thickly applied & feature bright colors, & brush strokes that are swirled. Illustration size and format vary. What If? invites use for building narrative skills. Since I tend to use picture books for story hours, this is pleasant, but not as useful as Seeger's other books. For preschoolers and kindergateners.
What If? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a nearly wordless picturebook that explores the possibilities of different actions and the possible outcomes, focusing on the concept of exclusion. The illustrations are thickly applied & feature bright colors, & brush strokes that are swirled. Illustration size and format vary. What If? invites use for building narrative skills. Since I tend to use picture books for story hours, this is pleasant, but not as useful as Seeger's other books. For preschoolers and kindergateners.
January 4, 2011
I informed my students that I had some books to read for Cocky. I told my students that Cocky wanted to know what books he should read to boys and girls. The students were absolutely thrilled to be apart of this adventure. They were very involved and engaged in the books and in the discussions regardings the things they liked or disliked about each book.
The students loved the pictures in the book, What If?. Some students stated that they did not like that the book only said the words: what if?, then what if?, and, or. A lot of the students said that the book was boring.
I feel that this book would not be a great choice for Cocky to read because one would want the audience to be engaged and involved. This particular book during that type of event would not be a wise choice. I feel that this would be a great book when discussing illistrators and for students to pay attention to details in the pictures. This book one would need to really pay attention to the details in pictures in order to really make sense of the book.
The students loved the pictures in the book, What If?. Some students stated that they did not like that the book only said the words: what if?, then what if?, and, or. A lot of the students said that the book was boring.
I feel that this book would not be a great choice for Cocky to read because one would want the audience to be engaged and involved. This particular book during that type of event would not be a wise choice. I feel that this would be a great book when discussing illistrators and for students to pay attention to details in the pictures. This book one would need to really pay attention to the details in pictures in order to really make sense of the book.
November 21, 2018
Took me too long to figure out what was going on, even after reading the blurb to get help. Then the payoff wasn't worth it.
I opine that the theme of choosing the kindest action could have been presented with a lot more panache. And, actually, has been.
I opine that the theme of choosing the kindest action could have been presented with a lot more panache. And, actually, has been.
June 24, 2018
Very different than the other books I've read by this author.
The book is written in a wordless style.
The narration is basically
What if...?
And what if...?
Then what if...?
But then...
or...
This repeats, with each two page spread having one phrase.
The same story is repeated multiple times in the pictures, but the characters (seals) make different choices.
It's a story about friendship and sharing and inclusion.
The book is written in a wordless style.
The narration is basically
What if...?
And what if...?
Then what if...?
But then...
or...
This repeats, with each two page spread having one phrase.
The same story is repeated multiple times in the pictures, but the characters (seals) make different choices.
It's a story about friendship and sharing and inclusion.
July 29, 2019
This is an almost wordless picture book about reading facial expressions/context clues and the process of conflict resolution. It's a seemingly simple concept book and I can see some readers not knowing what to do with this. A conversation will definitely need to accompany this book. Clever.
For: readers looking for a book about sharing/friendship.
Possible red flags: some readers may find the book to simple.
For: readers looking for a book about sharing/friendship.
Possible red flags: some readers may find the book to simple.
January 12, 2018
Picture book: I liked this book because it used illustrations to convey the true meaning of the book! As we discussed in class, children are really great at picking up on visual cues and gathering meaning from just the pictures. Three different possibilities are explored in this book, with the last being a happy solution.
May 30, 2018
This book is just too simple. It may work as a one-on-one if you're trying to teach a lesson on inclusion, or you're working with a small group of elementary aged kids, but it just won't work as a group read aloud for anyone under about 7. 3 stars instead of 2 because the illustrations are marvelous.
May 18, 2022
We have been reading a bunch of books by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, but I decided to not even read this to my 4s and 5s. There's not much to the story; maybe I didn't get the subtle nuances like I was meant to. I think they would just be confused. It's a pass for us.
December 2, 2017
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade: K
I had to read it a second time to figure out what was going on. But once I did I realized that it is a story about problem solving and social relations in a way a kid could understand.
Grade: K
I had to read it a second time to figure out what was going on. But once I did I realized that it is a story about problem solving and social relations in a way a kid could understand.
December 30, 2021
Not a huge fan of the art style but it definitely opened my eyes to thinking more creatively about the form. I can see the richness and depth of conversation that might follow on themes of friendship, sharing, loneliness, inclusion, multiverses :p
February 1, 2022
Interesting concept book about conflict/resolution. I found it a little hard to catch on awhile reading it, so it took a few times of flipping back to see how the same story was starting over to show different outcomes. Reading this with a little one would definitely require additional discussion.
June 21, 2024
I know this is supposed to be a wordless picture book where you add in your own details, but I was very confused by the story’s plot. I think I got the gist in the end, but this story was set up very confusingly. I did like the illustrations and the colors that were used.
June 20, 2017
What a cool concept!
November 30, 2018
What if ... the author actually wrote a story about these seals to go along with the cute pictures? Perhaps we would have a book worth reading??
February 28, 2019
What if... I never read this book? But what if...no one ever read this book? But then...no real loss.
June 5, 2019
about a beach and if you include others or not. was ok.
October 30, 2020
A confusing book I didn't understand until halfway through. Too re,inside t of groundhog's day.
July 3, 2021
A story told in three different ways. Each story begins the say way, but the endings are all different, displaying the many outcomes of the same issue.
January 10, 2022
A story with plenty of opportunity for imagination.
January 31, 2022
This was a mind bending surrealist exploration of time and the possibilities we inhabit in the universe. I never knew a picture book could be this sophisticated.
July 20, 2014
“What If” written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is an almost wordless story that is interactive with the reader. Rather than just using words, Seeger gives different scenarios of “What If” a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? What if seals found the ball and begin to play with it? What if the beach ball was found somewhere other than where it is seen in the particular scenario? Instead of just giving the reader a story, the author give three different scenarios and a chance to guess what happens when different choices are made. The cover is quite catchy, bright and the scene of a beach, and yet the illustrations within the book are pretty simple with basic colors. Overall, I enjoyed the story.
September 26, 2011
Three options are presented via illustrations along with a few clue words.
This is the sort of book best used by a teacher/parents with a kid/class. I don't know that kids will like/get it otherwise. You could probably consider it a concept book, just not one about numbers or the alphabet.
Well reviewed and recommended in several places, but I don't know that it's as great as they said. For Seeger concept books, I'd go with One Boy or Lemons Are Not Red first.
This is the sort of book best used by a teacher/parents with a kid/class. I don't know that kids will like/get it otherwise. You could probably consider it a concept book, just not one about numbers or the alphabet.
Well reviewed and recommended in several places, but I don't know that it's as great as they said. For Seeger concept books, I'd go with One Boy or Lemons Are Not Red first.
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November 11, 2010What if a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? What if two seals found it and began to play? What if a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend? Enjoy this visit to the beach and the chance to guess what happens when different choices are made.
This is an almost wordless book that would best be enjoyed reading to one or two kids, in my opinion. The illustrations are so cute and the expressions really tell a lot. It could help kids make good decisions about letting others play with them and help them think about others' feelings.
This is an almost wordless book that would best be enjoyed reading to one or two kids, in my opinion. The illustrations are so cute and the expressions really tell a lot. It could help kids make good decisions about letting others play with them and help them think about others' feelings.
May 22, 2010
With very simple and limited text, this book depicts the possibilities of a ball, a beach, and three seals. The same story premise is illustrated three different ways so children will have the chance to explore the possibilities of what if? This would be a great book to gets kids' imaginations churning. Though the words are basic and simple, the bright and color-popping illustrations are what create the story.
February 29, 2012
The cover is appealing, beachy and bright, but this nearly wordless picture book left me feeling blah. It presents three scenarios that play out about a ball and seals at a beach.
My three year old (who selected the book in her random library shelf pulling) was not engaged by the book and hasn't asked for a re-read. My seven year old actually told me he thought it was boring.
So, I get the concept, and the illustrations are colorful, but this wasn't a hit for our family.
My three year old (who selected the book in her random library shelf pulling) was not engaged by the book and hasn't asked for a re-read. My seven year old actually told me he thought it was boring.
So, I get the concept, and the illustrations are colorful, but this wasn't a hit for our family.
July 25, 2014
Laura Baccaro Seeger has captured the ability to imagine and tell your own story in this beautifully illustrated book. "What if" is merely the beginning of a fun story that children will tell themselves. Every time you open the book a different story will begin with "What if." The setting is on the beach with a beach ball and seals. What happens next is all up to the reader. This book is great for any age!
July 12, 2010
WHAT IF a boy found a beach ball and kicked it into the ocean? WHAT IF two seals found it and began to play? WHAT IF a third seal appeared on the beach looking for a friend? In this spare and deceptively simple book, Laura Vaccaro Seeger shows us the same story with three different outcomes, each highlighting the possibility in possibilities.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews