I was first introduced to Oliver Jeffers' storytelling and illustration style when I read Stuck to the students in my resource classroom. We all felt smarter than the main character after reading that funny tale!
In 2013, I got my first (and current) librarian job. Jeffers had illustrated The Day the Crayons Quit for author Drew Daywalt, and it was on our Bluebonnet Award Nominee List in 2014--and won!
Jeffers has written and illustrated several books, and I can't seem to stop adding them to my own personal collection. His latest, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, seems to me the most poignant yet.
Written for his newborn son, Here We Are is a tender introduction to this planet we call home. Jeffers starts with the solar system and zooms inward, highlighting the most important details. From landforms to creatures of the sea, body parts and basic needs to the familiar newborn parents' plea for sleep, Jeffers underlines the similarities we share, despite the differences he illustrates so beautifully and inclusively. There are admonitions on how we use our time and resources, and a reminder that there is always someone to ask for guidance, even after Jeffers himself is gone. There may be a tear in your eye as you close this wonderful book.
P.S. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth may just be my new favorite baby shower gift....It belongs on the nursery shelf, right next to On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
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