Today is the Birthday of the World
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- 6,49 €
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- 6,49 €
Publisher Description
Today is a special day: the birthday of the world, when God and all God’s creatures celebrate the beauty of life. As God asks each dear creature in turn whether it has been the best that it can be, this simple affirmation of life and goodness applauds the contribution that each and every one of us— from the mightiest elephant to the smallest child— can make. The whimsical animals in Alison Jay’s perfectly composed crackled paintings will make this a favorite book on the family shelf.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Creatures large and small from a bee to an elephant "pass before God" in this picture book with gentle ecological and moral overtones. One by one, God questions each animal about its actions during the previous year. To the giraffe, "Did you eat the highest leaves on the tree,/ Happy that I'd chosen you to make a path for the sun?"; to the cow, "Did you give your milk each day,/ Happy that I'd chosen you to feed so many children?" Extra spreads are devoted to a child who plants seeds, creates a painting, shares toys and plays ("This year, little child, my dear little child,/ Were you the best little child that you could be?" God asks). Heller's (The Castle on Hester Street) repeating form lends the soothing tone of a lullaby, well-matched by Jay's (Welcome to the Zoo!) bucolic scenes, their crackled surfaces playing up the feeling that animals have carried out their respective duties over the course of ages. Readers will be left feeling connected to the larger world, as one of the "dear little helpers" God praises. Ages 3 5.
