Liz Garton Scanlon

With simple, rhyming text, that flows well, and keeps the reader's attention; and delightful pencil and watercolor illustrations that perfectly capture the fun of a day at the beach, or the warmth of a family evening around the piano - one can almost taste the salty sea air, hear the music filling the room - Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee's All the World would make a wonderful storybook for reading aloud!

"Rock, stone, pebble, sand / Body, shoulder; arm, hand / A moat to dig, / a shell show more to keep / All the world is wide and deep" it begins, following a diverse family - the mother is European-American, the father (possibly) African-American - as they go from seaside to farm market, from supper at a cozy cafe, to a musical gathering at home. Another family (possibly Latino?), with grandfather and three young children, explore a massive tree: "Tree, trunk, branch, crown / Climbing up and sitting down / Morning sun becomes noon-blue / All the world is old and new."

I liked the visual and narrative ambiguity of the this picture book, with two diverse families that could be related, or could just be friends. Or maybe "just" being friends is being related, as "All the world is all of us?" I also really liked that the diversity is taken for granted, that it is never explicitly commented upon, or made issue of in the narrative. Finally, I can see why this was named one of the top ten "Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009" by The New York Times, and also why it was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book. The artwork is simply gorgeous - so free and joyful, so completely alive! All the World is definitely a title that deserves all the accolades it has won! show less

This book is hard to describe as strikes me as a meditation and a prayer and a hope for communicating the beauty of the world to a child. I love it! The world is wide, amazing, beautiful, full of love (without sounding like the song “Imagine'“). The accompanying illustrations really capture the sense of hope and peace. This would be such a beautiful part of a bedtime routine.

"What to do?" a man wonders from his house on the tip-top of a dusty hill, and his words (and his hat) float down to Kate on the wind. Kate knows that she cannot stop the wind, but she pulls a wagon full of tree saplings up to the man. Together they plant them. "The trees grew, and the wind blew, and the time flew. The time flew as the trees grew...and Kate did, too." The illustrations show Kate growing up and the man aging as the trees grow up to provide a windbreak.

A gentle story in show more rhythmic language, full of rhyme, about an intergenerational friendship, creative problem-solving, and ecosystems. Back matter includes "more about marvelous trees," and how readers can make a difference. The color palette and style is reminiscent of Kenard Pak's books about the seasons changing (Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn). show less

"Everyone starts small,
in seed or sky or rocky bed."

Water rushes toward the sea, Tree reaches toward the sky, Wind grows strong, Sun grows hot...a wildfire spreads, then is calmed by Rain.

"Fire grows hottest of all.
There's not a thing in the world anyone can say to that.
Except Rain."

In the aftermath, everyone is tired; "It is hard not to just give up." But in the soil, the tree roots grow and seeds sprout again.

"It's not a race, says Tree...
Everyone wins, says Tree, and there's not
a thing in show more the world anyone can say to that."

In an author's note, Scanlon explains that all the elements of Earth's ecosystems are interconnected, and that when there are environmental traumas, Earth wants to recover - and we can help. show less