Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

by Oliver Jeffers

Overview

#1 New York Times bestseller
A TIME Magazine Best Book of the Year
A NPR Best Book of 2017
A Boston Globe Best Book of 2017

"Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans...underscores the twin messages that 'You're never alone on Earth' and that we're all in this together."—Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

"A true work of art."—BuzzFeed

Oliver Jeffers, arguably the most influential creator of picture books today, offers a rare personal look inside his own hopes and wishes for his child—and in doing so gifts children and parents everywhere with a gently sweet and humorous missive about our world and those who call it home.

Insightfully sweet, with a gentle humor and poignancy, here is Oliver Jeffers' user's guide to life on Earth. He created it specially for his son, yet with a universality that embraces all children and their parents. Be it a complex view of our planet's terrain (bumpy, sharp, wet), a deep look at our place in space (it’s big), or a guide to all of humanity (don’t be fooled, we are all people), Oliver's signature wit and humor combine with a value system of kindness and tolerance to create a must-have book for parents.

Praise for Here We Are:

-"A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves"—School Library Journal

-"From the skies to the animal kingdom to the people of the world and lots of other beautifully rendered examples of life on Earth, Here We Are carries a simple message: Be kind." —NPR

-"[An] enchanting gem of a children's book"—NBC's Today Show

-"A must-have book for parents."—Gambit

-"A celebration of people all shapes and sizes, and of the beauty and mystery of our Earth."—Booklist

-"...a beautifully illustrated guide to living on Earth and being a good person."—Brightly

-[Here We Are] is a tour through the land, the sea, the sky, our bodies; dioramas of our wild diversity....[Jeffers] is the master of capturing the joy in our differences."—New York Times Book Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399167898
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	14,979
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Oliver Jeffers (www.oliverjeffersworld.com) makes art and tells stories. His books include How to Catch a Star; Lost and Found, which was the recipient of the prestigious Nestle Children's Book Prize Gold Award in the U.K. and was later adapted into an award-winning animated film; and the New York Times bestsellers Stuck; This Moose Belongs to Me; and Once Upon an Alphabet. He is also, of course, the illustrator of the #1 smash hits The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, both written by Drew Daywalt. His fine art is world-renowned and his dip-art exhibitions are a much sought-after event. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Oliver now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and young son. Follow him @OliverJeffers.

Read an Excerpt

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Table of Contents

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Reading Group Guide

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Interviews

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Foreword

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Editorial Reviews

Here We Are plumbs the depths of wonder…It is a tour through the land, the sea, the sky, our bodies: dioramas of our wild diversity…[Jeffers] is the master of capturing the joy in our differences. Readers might lose themselves in these pages, cataloging the magnificence of the blue man in the red fez, the tiny beekeeper, the green haired punk, the whirling dervish, the baboon's bare butt, the quiet queen, the hammerhead, the unquiet chorister, the earthworm.

The New York Times Book Review - Samantha Hunt

★ 10/30/2017
"These are the things I think you need to know," writes Jeffers (A Child of Books), dedicating this contemplative and heartfelt book to his young son. Each spread highlights aspects of this planet or life on it: the solar system, people and animals, the way time can seem to move slowly or quickly. "Use your time well," he advises. "It will be gone before you know it." Throughout, Jeffers channels the voice of an adult who knows things but perhaps still struggles to find the right words to explain them: "Generally how it works is that when the sun is out, it is daytime, and we do stuff." After discussing land, sea, and sky, he admits that the sky "can get pretty complicated" (dotted lines separate the "air we breathe" from the "stratosthingy" and "outer space," among other labeled celestial and meteorological entities). Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans—musicians, hijabis, nuns, explorers, potentates—underscores the twin messages that "You're never alone on Earth" and that we're all in this together. Ages 3-7. Agent: Paul Moreton, Bell Lomax Moreton Agency. (Nov.)The publication month of this book has been updated.

Publishers Weekly

-"Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans...underscores the twin messages that 'You're never alone on Earth'and that we're all in this together."—Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

-"A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves." —School Library Journal

-"From the skies to the animal kingdom to the people of the world and lots of other beautifully rendered examples of life on Earth, Here We Are carries a simple message: Be kind." —NPR

-"A true work of art."—Buzzfeed

-"A must-have book for parents."—Gambit

-"A celebration of people all shapes and sizes, and of the beauty and mystery of our Earth."—Booklist

-“Mr. Jeffers captures the love and the poignancy in what is styled as an introduction to a newcomer… Rich colors, witty pictures and a kind sensibility make this book, published late last year, a nice bedtime choice for readers ages 2-6.”—The Wall Street Journal

-"...a beautifully illustrated guide to living on Earth and being a good person." —Brightly

-"Something of a user's guide to being alive and to life on Earth, Jeffers brilliantly uses pen and paintbrush to explore profound and puzzling questions, establishing straight off that the wisdom imparted here is wisdom for us all."—Chicago Tribune

-[Here We Are] is a tour through the land, the sea, the sky, our bodies; dioramas of our wild diversity....[Jeffers] is the master of capturing the joy in our differences."—New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
Baby-Toddler—Jeffers uses his clever, effervescent cartoon style to welcome a new baby to planet Earth, "the big globe, floating in space, on which we live." He makes an effort to impart "the things I think you need to know" on his infant son by giving him an overview of the landscape via diagrams and fun drawings and what he might expect to encounter as he grows and becomes more mobile ("we'll talk some more about [the sea] once you've learned to swim.") His words are by turns philosophical, humorous, and practical. "People come in many shapes, sizes and colors. We may all look different, act different and sound different…but don't be fooled, we are all people." He stresses the need to be patient, to use one's words, and to be kind. He encourages the child to ask questions and leave notes behind for those who follow. Most importantly, the child should remember to look after this lonely planet as it's "all we've got." The playful narrative and lovely warm palette of the artwork are inviting and the sage advice, while a bit beyond even the most precocious of babies, will appeal to hip new parents embarking on their own uncharted territory. VERDICT A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves and anywhere the author's work is popular.—Luann Toth, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2017-11-10
Addressing his infant son about what it means to live on Earth, the author/illustrator offers a mix of planetary facts, quotations, bits of advice, and illustrations.The dedication page to 2-month-old Harlan includes, from the author, "These are the things / I think you need to know," as well as a quote from J.M. Barrie about the importance of kindness. Jeffers' fans will not be disappointed by the scant, lilting text and the boldly colored, stylized depictions of people, animals, and scenery. Themes include the physical planet, caring for the body, diversity of people and animals, time well spent, and caring for the planet—with kindness as an overarching element. The tone is unsentimental and conversational and laced with Jeffers' trademark wryness: "We know a bit about the sea, but we'll talk some more about that once you've learned to swim." The facts disclosed are rudimentary, as is the vocabulary—but this entertains rather than bores, because readers are intermittently reminded that the book's audience is a baby. The double-page spread illustrating the "shapes, sizes and colors" of people is amazingly inclusive of ethnicities, abilities, and lifestyles (though the depiction of what seems to be an Arctic Native in furs speaks to the difficulty of balancing inclusion against stereotype in such an effort). Scattered throughout are funny, never snarky asides—as when a parrot corrects the assertion that animals don't talk and when part of the universe is labeled the "stratosthingy."Big ideas ably packed into little, bright packages. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

To come.