Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (Here We Are)

by Oliver Jeffers (Author) Oliver Jeffers (Illustrator)

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (Here We Are)
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Here We Are
Insightfully sweet, with a gentle humor and poignancy, here is Jeffers' user's guide to life on Earth. He created it specially for his son, yet with a universality that embraces all children and their parents. Full color. 9 1/2 x 11. 32 pp. Pub. 11/17. (Fiction, Ages 4-8)
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Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

"These are the things I think you need to know," writes Jeffers (A Child of Books), dedicating this contemplative and heartfelt book to his young son. Each spread highlights aspects of this planet or life on it: the solar system, people and animals, the way time can seem to move slowly or quickly. "Use your time well," he advises. "It will be gone before you know it." Throughout, Jeffers channels the voice of an adult who knows things but perhaps still struggles to find the right words to explain them: "Generally how it works is that when the sun is out, it is daytime, and we do stuff." After discussing land, sea, and sky, he admits that the sky "can get pretty complicated" (dotted lines separate the "air we breathe" from the "stratosthingy" and "outer space," among other labeled celestial and meteorological entities). Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans--musicians, hijabis, nuns, explorers, potentates--underscores the twin messages that "You're never alone on Earth" and that we're all in this together. Ages 3-7. Agent: Paul Moreton, Bell Lomax Moreton Agency. (Nov.) The pub date of this book has been updated.

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Baby-Toddler--Jeffers uses his clever, effervescent cartoon style to welcome a new baby to planet Earth, "the big globe, floating in space, on which we live." He makes an effort to impart "the things I think you need to know" on his infant son by giving him an overview of the landscape via diagrams and fun drawings and what he might expect to encounter as he grows and becomes more mobile ("we'll talk some more about [the sea] once you've learned to swim.") His words are by turns philosophical, humorous, and practical. "People come in many shapes, sizes and colors. We may all look different, act different and sound different...but don't be fooled, we are all people." He stresses the need to be patient, to use one's words, and to be kind. He encourages the child to ask questions and leave notes behind for those who follow. Most importantly, the child should remember to look after this lonely planet as it's "all we've got." The playful narrative and lovely warm palette of the artwork are inviting and the sage advice, while a bit beyond even the most precocious of babies, will appeal to hip new parents embarking on their own uncharted territory. VERDICT A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves and anywhere the author's work is popular.--Luann Toth, School Library Journal

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

-"Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans...underscores the twin messages that 'You're never alone on Earth'and that we're all in this together."—Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

-"A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves." —School Library Journal

-"From the skies to the animal kingdom to the people of the world and lots of other beautifully rendered examples of life on Earth, Here We Are carries a simple message: Be kind." —NPR

-"A true work of art."—Buzzfeed

-"A must-have book for parents."—Gambit

-"A celebration of people all shapes and sizes, and of the beauty and mystery of our Earth."—Booklist

-"Mr. Jeffers captures the love and the poignancy in what is styled as an introduction to a newcomer... Rich colors, witty pictures and a kind sensibility make this book, published late last year, a nice bedtime choice for readers ages 2-6."—The Wall Street Journal

-..".a beautifully illustrated guide to living on Earth and being a good person." —Brightly

-"Something of a user's guide to being alive and to life on Earth, Jeffers brilliantly uses pen and paintbrush to explore profound and puzzling questions, establishing straight off that the wisdom imparted here is wisdom for us all."—Chicago Tribune

-[Here We Are] is a tour through the land, the sea, the sky, our bodies; dioramas of our wild diversity....[Jeffers] is the master of capturing the joy in our differences."—New York Times Book Review

Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers From his much-loved debut, How to Catch a Star he has gone on to create a collection of award-winning and bestselling picture books, which have been translated all over the globe, including the #1 New York Times bestseller and TIME Best Book of the Year Here We Are, as well as the companion What We'll Build. He is also the illustrator of the smash hits The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, both written by Drew Daywalt. His fine art is world-renowned and his dip-art exhibitions are a much sought-after event. Oliver is from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and now he, his wife and young children split their time between Belfast and Brooklyn, NY.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780399167898
Lexile Measure
530
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Philomel Books
Publication date
November 14, 2017
Series
Here We Are
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
JUV013040 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | New Baby
Library of Congress categories
Conduct of life
Earth (Planet)

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