Enlightening and encouraging.
This paean to Earth sketches a rudimentary history of its changes right into the present climate crisis, suggesting a first step toward biodiversity preservation.
“Once there was a little bit of land.” The light-skinned child on the cover reappears inside, contentedly watering plants. Even in this first illustration, readers observe layers beneath the soil, significantly housing fossils. Simple, lyrical text swiftly moves from describing the child’s bit of land to discussing more generally how the land might have appeared in earlier eras. The crucial point is made that, despite constant changes, “The land provided for all the life that lived upon it.” Dramatic double-page spreads stress that even naturally caused fires do not thwart balanced ecosystems. Dynamic gouache watercolors—ending with a gray, urban world literally turned upside down by human-caused habitat destruction and fossil fuel use—make the case for taking note immediately. A trio of racially diverse children are shown noticing even as adults rush by at the brink of catastrophe. Just at that brink, the text asks readers if they “can hear the little bit of land talking to you?”—then gently prods them, via a series of uplifting scenarios, into taking care of it. The enthralling artwork is reminiscent of the Golden Books illustrated by Tibor Gergely, including vivid colors, an impeccable sense of composition, and slightly comical renderings of animals and people. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Enlightening and encouraging. (author’s note, glossary, additional facts, resources) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-30176-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions.
Ellis, known for her illustrations for Colin Meloy’s Wildwood series, here riffs on the concept of “home.”
Shifting among homes mundane and speculative, contemporary and not, Ellis begins and ends with views of her own home and a peek into her studio. She highlights palaces and mansions, but she also takes readers to animal homes and a certain famously folkloric shoe (whose iconic Old Woman manages a passel of multiethnic kids absorbed in daring games). One spread showcases “some folks” who “live on the road”; a band unloads its tour bus in front of a theater marquee. Ellis’ compelling ink and gouache paintings, in a palette of blue-grays, sepia and brick red, depict scenes ranging from mythical, underwater Atlantis to a distant moonscape. Another spread, depicting a garden and large building under connected, transparent domes, invites readers to wonder: “Who in the world lives here? / And why?” (Earth is seen as a distant blue marble.) Some of Ellis’ chosen depictions, oddly juxtaposed and stripped of any historical or cultural context due to the stylized design and spare text, become stereotypical. “Some homes are boats. / Some homes are wigwams.” A sailing ship’s crew seems poised to land near a trio of men clad in breechcloths—otherwise unidentified and unremarked upon.
Visually accomplished but marred by stereotypical cultural depictions. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6529-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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