Richie's Picks: ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee, ill.
Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, September 2009, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-4169-8580-8
It feels so wonderful to have connections!
At this moment I cannot recall where, a week ago, I ran across the cover
image of ALL THE WORLD, but it is so scary beautiful and it so caught and
held my attention upon seeing the small online picture of it, that I
immediately emailed my friend Michelle at Simon & Schuster to beg for an advance,
unbound copy. That copy arrived an hour ago and I've been reading it
aloud, over and over, and over, while gazing at the illustrations, and getting
more and more excited about its interplay of melodic text and stunning
illustrations in which people young and old, are working and playing in harmony
with the Earth and each other. Throughout the book they are connected to
the birds, the bees, the rocks, the flowers, the sky, and the sea...
"Rock, stone, pebble, sand
Body, shoulder, arm, hand
A moat to dig, a shell to keep
All the world is wide and deep."
There are nine easy-to-recite-aloud stanzas to the poem that comprises the
text of ALL THE WORLD. The poetry and images lead us through an idyllic
day of surf and sandcastles; community-based agriculture; tree-climbing and
bike-riding; and an incoming, late-afternoon downpour that sends everyone
scuttling to the shelter of a cafe nestled among big trees. A post-storm
quiet dusk becomes the prelude to a joyful evening when all the book's
multigenerational characters gather for an impromptu acoustic jam. Everyone --
young and old -- is connected; everyone is part of the whole. Then, the
hugs and pajamas.
Immersing us in a palette of blues, greens, tans, and browns that make my
heart sing, illustrator Marla Frazee moves us effortlessly back and forth
from the close-up intimacy of the characters connecting with one another, to
expansive, double-page spreads that reveal the characters as being like
little pebbles amidst the breathtaking beauty of our big and beautiful
planet.
Which brings us back to the cover which show a big brother and little
sister with their backs to us, gazing out to endless sea and sky from their
vantage point upon a flower-covered seaside rise. They look so happy and
relaxed, maybe just watching the swells and the seagulls, or maybe meditating
upon the glory and immensity of the planet to which they are connected...
Please excuse me now. I have an urgent need to traverse the coastal hills
and connect with them in time for tonight's summer seaside jam session...
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks
_http://www.librarything.com/catalog/richiespicks_
(http://www.librarything.com/profile/richiespicks)
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator, _http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/_
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_school_lit/)
_http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks_ (http://www.myspace.com/richiespicks)
**************Make your summer sizzle with fast and easy recipes for the
grill. (http://food.aol.com/grilling?ncid=emlcntusfood00000004)
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