Need a vicarious vacation? How about a beach outing on a breezy weekend day? The smooth poetic rhythms and panoramic images of All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon channel relaxation and ease. This lovely book seems a natural choice for a quiet interlude or bedtime cuddle. Although filled with activity and companionship, the text projects a steady reassuring tone and the illustrations depict warm interactions between family and friends over the course of a summer day.
Drawing upon a laundry list of selections from recent New York Times’ recommendations, I was initially attracted to All the World by Marla Frazee’s striking cover illustration. Two young children are viewed from behind, highlighted against a background of a towering cumulus cloud as they stand on a sand dune overlooking the sea. Awarded her second Caldecott Honor for All The World, Frazee features a multicultural cast of characters in her sweeping artwork including a relatively rare portrait of an interracial family. The illustrations alternate between vast natural vistas and intimate family scenes and provide great opportunities for interaction with the reader. Is family from the beach at the market? Has the man with the wagon joined the gathering at the fountain? Have the bicyclists arrived at the restaurant and house? Frazee does a particularly effective job in conveying the descending darkness, the routines of a closing day, and the cozy connections that define human relationships. Her paintings of hugging parents, a mother nursing a baby (while studying textbooks), and a father nuzzling his infant pair perfectly with the last pages of text:
“All the world is everything
Everything is you and me.”
Ultimately, the poetic text clinched my decision to tuck Scanlon’s picture book into my bag and take it home. All the World is a natural read aloud. It has the rhythm and refrain of a classic:
“… All the world is wide and deep.
… All the world is old and new.
… All the world has got its sky.”
Scanlon’s words roll out like a long-loved lullaby. I can imagine making this assured and lyrical book a cornerstone of a bedtime routine. When shared with a sleepy child, the poem is an enticement to put away the cares of the day and relax into the comfort of soft pillows and a warm bed:
“Spreading shadows,
setting sun.
Crickets, curtains, day is done
A fire takes away the chill
All the world can hold quite still”
The book concludes …
…Hope and peace and love and trust
All the world is all of us.”
For me, the mood created by the modulation and sounds of these words is reminiscent of some of our family’s favorite bedtime selections including Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon and Sandra Boynton’s The Going to Bed Book. I can envision this charming and beautiful book as a natural addition to that select list of beloved books read just before a precious kiss goodnight. All the World is a true gem.
I never had the routine of bedtime books when I was younger, but you make me so remorseful that I didn't and that I still don't have a relaxing bedtime routine. This post really makes me want to find this book.
ReplyDeleteI like the feel of the book as you describe it. It sounds like such a nice, relaxing book, yet not without a comforting message.
You make me want to immediately go out right now and get this book. Goodnight Moon was my little sister's favorite bedtime story and I remember my mom and dad reading it to us every night before we went to bed. This book sounds wonderful and I cannot lie, I almost picked it up as well, and after reading your review, I wish I had.
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