Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
By Oliver Jeffers
Penguin Young Readers, 2017. Picture Book

“Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth” is a charming exploration of the different parts that make up planet earth and how to navigate this place we all call home. Written for Jeffers’ newborn son, this book is both playful and heartfelt, and aims to guide young readers to better understand the great big world around them.

The most striking parts of “Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth” are the spectacular drawings. The quaint and simple illustrations include fun details, scientific facts, and personal touches. Each page of drawings draws your attention by focusing on the bigger picture, before leading your eye to the smaller details. This book will be lots of fun for young readers who enjoy spotting those details, and parents who will enjoy the depth of the drawings.

The fun illustration style of this book helps you really understand the messages that the author is conveying. Messages about earth, and what makes it unique, messages about being kind, and messages about focusing both outward and inward, and especially about not being alone.

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