BOOK REVIEW: Here We Are – Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

BOOK REVIEW: Here We Are – Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

HarperCollins
November 2017
Hardcover, $24.99
Reviewed by Steph O’Connell

Picture Books

10/10

 

Well, hello.
And welcome to this Planet.
We call it Earth.

Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. 

From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else… 

Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you’ve just got to be kind.

It should come as no surprise when Oliver Jeffers brings out a new book and it is absolutely gorgeous. It’s what he’s known for. How to Catch a Star, Lost and Found, The Heart and the Bottle, The Hueys, A Child of Books… the list goes on. If you haven’t read any of these, you should remedy that situation immediately, and should be able to find at least one of his titles in all good bookstores.

Here We Are is a gorgeous book about our planet and the people who live here, written as an introduction for the youngest members of the human race.

There are perhaps a few too many words for very young children to sit still for or absorb, who would be part of the target, as referenced in the text.

You may not be able to speak yet either, even though you head is filled with questions.
Be patient, you’ll learn how to use words soon enough.

But this is a wonderful book to “grow into” and hey, there are things here for the grownups reading, too.

On our planet, there are people.
One people is a person.
You are a person. You have a body.

Look after it, as most bits don’t grow back.

There are some laughs as well as things many parents will be able to relate to, and the overall message that we’re all people and we should be kind to one another is something that is too often forgotten in adulthood.

Well, that is Planet Earth.
Make sure you look after it, as it’s all we’ve got.

Now, if you need to know anything else . . . 
. . . just ask.
I won’t be far away.
And when I’m not around . . . 
. . . you can always ask someone else.

You’re never alone on Earth.

This book is about our global community, and about working together to discover and maintain the world, and it’s just gorgeous.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have something in my eye. 

Category: Book Reviews, Other Reviews