Review by Booklist Review
Taking his cues from established scientific evidence, Smith transports readers hundreds of thousands of years back, to modern humanity's original ancestors in Africa. The opening image is of an outstretched hand, finger extended in a parallel to Michelangelo's Creation of Adam--except this hand has dark skin. From there, a series of stunning spreads trace the progress of the human race, punctuating each development with a "we" statement: "We painted," "we crafted," "we orchestrated . . . music," "we became inventors," "we were architects," "we grew," "we healed," "we saw worlds beyond our own," "we set sail," "we explored." Each chapter of our history is set upon gorgeous painted landscapes or scenes of human ingenuity in action, always featuring a brown-skinned figure. Joy, struggle, and innovation are displayed throughout the ages, not only laying out a wide-spanning history but also upending the problematic idea that civilization began much later and that it was rooted in whiteness. A final spread shows a crowd of people, the "extended cousins" in "an array of diverse complexions and forms of prayer," showing every modern "race" that evolved out of our common ancestors. Excellent back matter adds more specifics to the story of each spread within, and an author's note makes a moving case for the value of this book and of remembering the shared origins of our global community.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"What does 'the beginning' look like?" opens this picture book look at the "birthplace of civilization." Gold-tinged symbols join the work's invitation to return to the start--"so far back/ that all of our roots begin to tell the same story." Using phrases that incorporate a communal we, and thickly stroked acrylic paintings that feel full of movement, Smith (The Artivist) establishes a progression of humankind's creativity--"a brilliant blueprint for all human beings to come." First arrives language and, through language, stories. Next up are art and sartorial expression, then music, instruments, and dance. After that appear invention and architecture: one illustration shows many hands braiding a net, and in another, figures build a shelter against a storm. Agriculture and medicine follow, then consideration of the sky and sea that leads to "new horizons." As groups travel, a map shows movement from the African continent to every corner of the globe, eventually leading to a crowd of "extended cousins" of various skin tones--"the first global population." Tracing curiosity and innovation across time and space, it's a visually rich collective history of humankind. Most characters are portrayed with brown skin. Back matter includes an author's note and timeline. Ages 4--8. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
About a quarter of a million years ago, "we" -- modern humans -- first appeared in Africa. Combining vibrant, painterly illustrations and short, lyrical, explanatory paragraphs, Smith outlines major contributions of these various groups from prehistoric Africa, including acquiring language, making music and art, creating tools, growing crops, and developing and using medicines. Back matter includes an illustrated chart that corresponds to each contribution, arranged in the same chronological order as the text, and shares brief historical information about each milestone. For example, readers glimpse two early humans in a cave with the accompanying text: "We questioned, 'What could this blank canvas possibly become?'" The chart in the back matter supplies more details: the earliest human drawings date back seventy-three thousand years and were found in the Blombos Cave in South Africa. In addition, these early Africans explored, pondering, "Perhaps these Nile perch are not the only ones who can river-fly. Can we not try?" An impressionistic migration map suggests the paths Africans took to populate the rest of the globe. An author's note and a timeline complete the book. Betty CarterJuly/August 2025 p.122 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lyrical meditation on the chronology of humanity's shared beginnings. "What does 'the beginning' look like?" It unfolds here as both poetry and revelation, an invitation to recognize the connection between past and present. Rather than presenting history as something distant or hidden, Smith emphasizes that our origins--our art, our inventions, our knowledge of how to cultivate land, our propensity for exploration, and more--are plainly visible in the earliest marks we left upon the African continent and, eventually, the rest of our planet. In his author's note, Smith states that he wrote the work as a counternarrative to textbooks that omitted mention of early African civilizations. Depicting Black adults and children creating, building, and thriving, his illustrations close with a diverse group of people standing proudly--a powerful demonstration of how "one group became many… / became the first global population… / BecameWe." His light but layered verse resists oversimplifying; he trusts readers to find themselves among our documented beginnings and within the very concept of "we." It's impossible to overstate the emotional effect of Smith's artwork--simultaneously majestic and intimate. Whether depicting the swirling cosmos or individual eyes alight as they gaze out at readers, every single brush stroke is alive with movement and intention. An annotated timeline adds accessible anthropological context to each aspect of humanity discussed. A triumph. (author's note)(Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
