I have two children. Two children that I hope will grow up with a good sense of the world around them, and of the cozier world within our own four walls. Two children that I hope will grow up with important values about family, about taking care of the world, and about inclusiveness. Two children who I hope will be able to notice the special thing and roll with the less-great ones. two children who I also hope will grow up to appreciate the beauty in the world, in art, and in how language can fit together.
This book? Is a wonderful way to start exposing them to all of those things, and to stimulate some discussion, as good books can do.
All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee
Marla Frazee has to be one of my favourite illustrators working today, so i always want to check out anything she’s involved in – and most of the time, she’s picked well. This is no exception, and benefits, as is typical, from her incredible ability to capture at once both the broad sweeps and charming details of her subject matter.
Here, the text she’s illuminating lends itself to just that, ranging from the tiny to the vast, and showing just how intertwined all people and all of nature are along the way. It’s beautiful, reverent, and heart-warming – and all these things without a trace of the sappiness that sinks some picture books for me. Take this verse, for example:
Hive, bee, wings, hum
Husk, cob, corn, yum!
Tomato blossom, fruit so red
All the world’s a garden bed.
Isn’t that lovely? I liked it enough that I went out and bought it, and plan to buy it for a friend, as well.
If you still aren’t convinced, though, don’t just take my word for it – it was also a Caldecott Honor Book for 2009.