A story about a young boy describing his favorite places that he shares with his family on their family farm and the surrounding countryside.

This story begins when Eli is born, and readers can see the beautiful countryside he grows up in. Together, we visit the nearby meadow, river, woods, field, hilltop, marsh, and barn. Each place holds special meaning for Eli, his parents, and his grandparents. Near the end of Patricia MacLachlan's story, Eli's sister is born, and he looks forward to taking her to all of the special places. Mike Wimmer's realistic paintings allow the reader to see just how peaceful the land is. We also see the looks in his parents' and grandparents' eyes, and how much he means to them. Young Eli always appears curious. Each page portrays a young, energetic boy, whether he has his fishing pole in hand, or is gazing at a nearby turtle. The rich colors create a warm, hopeful mood. Further, we see that Eli wears the same denim overalls that his father and grandfather wear, and the reader can see each generation respecting the other. And, on the final page, with no text, we see a gorgeous landscape view from a hilltop, with Eli and his growing sister overlooking their home. ( )

This is a great example of a realistic fiction picture book. It is set in present day and depicts all the things to love while living in the country. It also tells a realistic tale of the different relatives that love the little boy who is the narrator.
Art Media: oil paintings
Appropriate Age: Primary ( )

All the Places to Love uses realistic paintings by Mike Wimmer to illustrate all of the wonderful places to love in the countryside. This story is also an excellent example of intergenerational relationships as we see the bond developed between children, their parents, and their grandparents. All the Places to Love is a wonderful escape for both children and adults to temporarily get away from the hectic pace of city life.

The soft, dreamy illustrations in this book provided a sense of calm for me and made me long for a simpler life. The book also made me appreciative of my relationships with my mother and grandmother and alll that I have learned from them.

I would extend this book by having children illustrate a short book of all of the places they love. I might also provide a lesson on the painting techniques used for the illustrations in the story.

I loved this book. I loved everything about it. The sentences were fairly simple, yet descriptive. The illustrations were true enough to reality yet were soft enough to evoke warmer feelings. The lessons--of being grounded, of loving where you are, of having family who love you and watch over you, of finding beauty everywhere, of enjoying the simple things--were fantastic. The entire book was just very pastoral, bucolic. It evokes the imagination. This is truly a wonderful book, and I'm seriously considering buying it. ( )