All The World

Liz Garton Scanlon (2009), 40 pages

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

Audience: All ages

Format: picture book

A recent 2009 release and Caldecott honoree, Scanlon’s All the World reflects multiculturalism in a subtle, but effective way. Scanlon's repetitive prose “all the world ...has got its sky ... all the world ... goes round this way ... all the world ... is you and me" and Frazee’s watercolors echo the book’s universal message of family with charm and personality. Children will enjoy the detailed illustrations and the juxtaposition of simple portraits against sweeping, panoramic landscapes. A feel-good book that will appeal to children and families of all backgrounds! The traditional folksong "We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" works well as a precursor or addendum to storytime:

We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got our mamas and our papas in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got our brothers and our sisters in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the little bitty baby in our hands
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got our aunts and our uncles in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got our grandmas and our grandpas in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the earth and the water in our hands.
We've got the mountains and the valleys in our hands.
We've got the oceans and the rivers in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

Other books by this author: A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes and Noodle & Lou