All Things Bright and Beautiful

by Cecil Frances Alexander, Katy Hudson (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate the beauty of God's creation with this gorgeously illustrated edition of a favorite childhood hymn.

First published by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848, this favorite hymn has become a mainstay of churches and Sunday school classes everywhere. Artist Katy Hudson (Too Many Carrots, A Loud Winter's Nap) brings new joy to Alexander's words with her fresh and bright watercolor style. Readers can join in the fun as they follow two little girls and their brother on a day filled with the discovery of "all things bright and beautiful."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546011002
Publisher:	Hachette Nashville
Publication date:	01/27/2026
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Cecil Frances Alexander was born in 1818 near Dublin, Ireland. She began writing poetry at the age of nine and went on to write hundreds of poems and hymns. Among her best-known hymns are "All Things Bright and Beautiful," "Once in Royal David's City," and "There is a Green Hill Far Away," all of which appeared in Hymns for Little Children, published in 1848. She died in 1895 and was remembered as a woman of great kindness and generosity.

Katy Hudson was raised in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, and started her career as a small child drawing on freshly painted walls! Her parents quickly encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead. The idea stuck, and after earning a degree in illustration, Katy is now a freelance author/Illustrator living and working in South East London with her husband and two children. Her debut author/illustrated picture book Bear and Duck was published in 2015 to a starred review from Kirkus. Subsequent books Too Many Carrots and A Loud Winter’s Nap went on to top the bestsellers list in the US.

Editorial Reviews

... colorful, whimsical, bushy-haired people and angels... docile animals... —Christianity and the Arts

Jeanette Hardage

... beautifully illustrated, profoundly told and would be a joy to read to a beloved child. —Southwestern Episcopalian

Pam Woegandt

Bright and beautiful watercolor illustrations and a large format with a thoughtful design combine to bring new life to the old words of this familiar hymn written in 1848. The rhyming text attributes everything under the sun to God's creation, from "all creatures great and small" to the tallest mountain, and from the general (the wind, the seasons) to the specific (each little bird and each ripe fruit). The cheerful illustrations on double-page spreads contain a central panel that specifically illustrates the relevant text surrounded by a large border that includes related flowers, trees, and wildlife. A sister and brother pair and their spotted dog are shown in each central panel, while a pair of mice provides a continuous thread in the borders throughout. The large, luminous illustrations make this an ideal choice for reading aloud to a group, and the short, simple text could also be sung, though the music for the hymn is not included. (Picture book/nonfiction. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews