Review by Booklist Review
This thought-provoking picture book encourages young readers to broaden their perspectives and imagine the myriad happenings taking place near and far: "Right now, on Earth, all at the same time, / there is day and night, / summer and winter, / fire and ice." Fadeeva's dynamic and expansive watercolor, acrylic, and collage illustrations offer windows into many locales around the world. Wordless spreads show slice-of-life scenes, from a crew working on a fishing boat on the roiling high seas to urban denizens bustling along the street flanked by skyscrapers towering above. A cheetah peers out from lush tropical foliage; penguins congregate on frozen tundra by mountains blanketed with snow. Tourists rush to snap photos of the Great Sphinx; a man sleeps on a jumble of cardboard in a graffitied alley. The spare, second-person narration evokes awe at how "vast and varied our planet is" and invites reflection and connection with the repeated prompt to "look closer." A meditative, inspiring musing about being part of a global community, "alive, / together, / right now."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Fadeeva's visually lush, expansive meditation on simultaneity and shared existence, opening domestic scenes remind readers that "Right now, you are reading this book.... someone is eating breakfast.... someone is falling asleep.... all at the same time, there is day and night, summer and winter, fire and ice." A bravura series of immersive environments follow, rendered in vivid splashes of color, evocative textures, and often playful collaged elements. In the same moment, tourists stretch their hands into the air to snap photos of the Sphinx, an unhoused person sleeps in a graffitied alley, and a community gathers to dance in bright sunlight. For those beginning to sense that there's a vast world beyond their own doorstep, this philosophical work affirms how lives occur contemporaneously, "together, right now." Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3--7. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
On the "blue dot" that is planet Earth, whether we reside on Antarctica or in Amsterdam, we're all connected. A tan-skinned caregiver and child cuddle on a sofa looking at a book--in fact, this very book--while the youngster's toys lie scattered on the floor. All seemingly mundane, but the magic has already begun. Fadeeva's minimalist yet thought-provoking text makes our globe feel simultaneously vast and intimate: "Right now, you are reading this book. Right now, someone is eating breakfast...falling asleep. Right now, on Earth, all at the same time, there is day and night, summer and winter, fire and ice." A montage of dramatically illustrated settings emphasizes this point as Fadeeva reveals a boat tossed on the high seas, another parent/child pair digging potatoes in a charcoal-gray field, caribou milling amid the snowy tundra, a leopard slinking through the jungle, African dancers clad in kente cloth whirling about. The contrast between bright colors that fairly glow and more somber neutrals is enthralling, with collaged elements (pieces of newsprint, graph paper, even a book's ISBN) providing further visual interest. This wholly immersive work reminds young people that our world is so much wider than it might appear and invites them to explore these far-flung areas--not as tourists but as members of a global community. A brilliant, uplifting, and world-embracing tale to unite us in divisive times.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
