John Coy

I love a lot of things about this book. The big thing is how real and true it is -- the photographs and the simple text give it such wide appeal. I don't know what percentage of people are descendants of immigrants who moved to another country for a better life, but I'd guess it's high, especially in the United States. So for most people, something in this book will ring true. It's powerful and important to share with young people.

I also like that this book is positive without being too RAH RAH U.S.A. WE'RE #1! The United States is not a perfect land of opportunity and plenty (the photographs do a good job of telling that part of the story) but it's a relatively prosperous and peaceful place to grow up. This book is much more about being grateful to your parents and grandparents than being grateful to America. And that's how it should be.… (altro)

A father and son drive into the night. As the sky turns shades of deep blue and purple they watch for night animals, swap baseball stories, and keep a lookout for eighteen wheelers. But they have miles to go before they can sleep, and it's a real challenge to stay awake for a whole night of driving.

Celebrating the relationship between a father and his son, John Coy's spare, poetic text and Peter McCarty's striking black-and-white drawings (complete with gas pumps, cafes, and truck stops) capture the warmth and nostalgia of a very special road trip.… (altro)

"People need water to live.
We need air to breathe.
We need plants to survive.
But do they need us?"
Obviously, the answer is no - but we need them. "And because we do, we must take care, in all the ways we can, so we're here on Earth together / now / and in the future."

Author's note, "What Can We Do?", Selected bibliography

Partially inspired by The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, and the influence shows. The watercolor and digital illustrations have a loose but detailed style that effectively show how nature would take back the built environment.… (altro)

This multi-racial story and poem has the unifying thread of we all come from the same stardust and from single cells, from there are stories are linked by migration stories - places and beings. Each migration story is unique but similar in the themes of coming from somewhere and someone. The vibrant illustrations reinforce the words and can help to demystify the story for younger children, adults can take in the artwork and enjoy the colors and talent.

I appreciated the authors did not shy away from talking about race in a multifold way, including talking about slavery and calling it out: "White people called my ancestors "slaves," and Native boarding schools: "I come from ... ancestors forced to learn English at boarding schools." Addressing it in children's books is how we grow our racial fluency and to face our realities.

I can see teachers or artists using this book as a jumping-off point for activities related to identity.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a bound paper copy of this book. I have a feeling the pages will pop with vibrancy.

Previewed an e-copy with NetGalley… (altro)