If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson
About:
Title: Here: The Dot We Call Home
Author: Laura Alary
Publisher: Paraclete Press
Reading Age/Grade Level: 5-10 years old
Summary:
Here: The Dot We Call Home is a simple and enchanting book that invites children to see themselves as both descendants and ancestors, and caretakers of our beautiful planet.
This is my home. I live here. But I am not the first…
When a child finds clues that others have lived in her house before her, she begins to wonder about them, and about those who will come after her. The more she wonders, the more her sense of home expands, stretching to include an entire planet.
With her thoughtful approach and her unique ability to make big concepts engaging and personal to children, Laura Alary invites readers along for the ride, zooming through time and space to the outer reaches of our solar system for a new perspective on the planet we share. The child marvels: How can something so big seem so small? But also: How can something so small seem so big? Overwhelmed by the mess that humans have left behind, in the end she realizes that there is only one thing to do: start where she is.
In spare and simple words, Here: The Dot We Call Home helps children begin to think of themselves as both descendants and ancestors, and to comprehend that people of every place and time share one home, and the task of looking after it.
What our reviewers have to say:
“It gets a little heavy at the beginning with the main character realizing she won't be the only one caring for her home and people will come after her. It's just a big concept for kids, but it's done in a safe way.”
"I'd recommend this to parents and teachers as a way to help get their children active in their community service or in care for the environment. It helps to start the conversation.”
