All the World

Scanlon, Liz Garton. 2009. ALL THE WORLD. Ill. by Marla Frazee. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416985808 [Suggested Grade Levels Pre-K- 1]

REVIEW
Scanlon’s poem is a charming exploration of the inter-connectedness between people. She shares the beauty of everyday life featuring a family who enjoys a morning at the beach; others working in a community garden, riding bikes in the town, and playing around a lake. A sudden downpour threatens to disturb their enjoyment but Scanlon writes: “Slip, trip, stumble, fall / Tip the bucket, spill it all / Better luck / another / day / All the world goes round this way.” The gentle rhythm is as comforting as the message.

Marla Frazee composes lovely water color-and-line illustrations and creates the perfect color palate of soft pastels with lots of white space to surround the illustrations in the early pages of the featured day. As the day winds down, her vibrant colors exuberantly extend to the edges of the page and harmonize with the verse: “Hope and peace and love and trust / All the world is all of us.” The text is hand lettered in large simple type which floats throughout the spreads. Her endearing drawings underscore Scanlon’s theme of unity – individual families, communities, and the world. The old-fashioned feel of both the poem and the illustrations produces a captivating, reassuring whole.

CONNECTIONS
Distribute four cards to each child and invite them to draw themselves, their families, school, community buildings, and world. Mix up the cards and deal them out to each other to emphasize their connectedness.

RELATED BOOKS
Books by the same illustrator:
Frazee, Marla. A COUPLE OF BOYS HAVE THE BEST WEEK EVER. ISBN 9780152045548
Frazee, Marla. ROLLER COASTER. ISBN 9780152045548

By Cay Geisler