When I Look Up

by Ellen DeLange, Jenny Meilihove (Illustrator)

Overview

"A very cute and memorable little book about the power of gratitude and taking the opportunity to stop and observe the world around you." - Rogene Carter (Educator)

What do you see when you look up?

Where does your imagination take you?

What do you wish for?

A story about dreaming of beautiful things,
and about being happy with what you’ve got.
For sky gazers ages 5 years and up.

• Guided Reading Level H

At Clavis, our focus is on what’s best for children. We believe that books play an important role in each new phase in life. Our toddler books are tailored for every stage from 0 to 3 and focus on the five most important themes in their life: daily life, skills, emotions, the world, and language development. The age range and theme of every book in our toddler series can be found on the back cover in the form of a colored train.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605374314
Publisher:	Clavis
Publication date:	05/28/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 11.42(h) x (d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Ellen DeLange has been fascinated by picture books ever since she was a child growing up in the Netherlands. In the attic of her home she assembled a small library and shared her collection with friends and family. As an adult she started traveling and expanded her library with picture books from all over the world. Ellen also enjoyed inventing her own stories and was encouraged by her daughter to write her first picture book, A Story with a Tale. Ellen has a doctorate in medical sciences, and currently lives in Canada where she loves to walk in the woods with her Jack Russell terriers, drink lots of tea after a busy day, and sail on the ocean to clear her mind. When I Look Up is her third book.
Jenny Meilihove is a freelance illustrator from Israel. Her father first taught her how to draw and instilled a love of art by taking her to galleries when she was a child. Later she majored in Illustration at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Now Jenny makes illustrations for games, home décor, and paper goods. But illustrating children’s books is what she loves the most. She wants her art to bring joy and happiness to everyone. When she’s not busy making art, Jenny loves to sleep and to have tea with cookies. Even when she’s asleep, she sometimes dreams about having tea with cookies.

Editorial Reviews

2019-02-06

A young child relates all the everyday things observed and encountered that spark a sense of wonder in this Dutch import.

From the back of a spring horse at the playground, the child spies a plane and thinks of "flying to faraway places." Some cloud-watching leads to imagining "join[ing] the parade." And while harvesting carrots (in the dark!), the child spots a white rabbit in the moon and wants to share. A shooting star, some butterflies, and a rainbow are more ordinary than the giant giraffes and less harmful than the balloon release that finds the child wondering if one might carry a note aloft. The ending is a bit out-of-the-blue. Although her pup appears in each scene, there's been no interaction between the two, so the child's declaration that "everything that makes me HAPPY is right here in front of me" rings a little false. It's exemplary (and rather noteworthy) that only two scenes are indoors. Background people have diverse skin tones while the child has a red dress, peach skin, a dark pageboy, and bright red cheeks and nose. Indeed, the illustrations are a bit stylized and odd, with humans who mostly have noses that range from pink to bright red, almost clownlike, especially when paired with too-small cone-shaped hats with pompoms on top, as several people sport.

Wish, imagine, wonder, hope, dream…and choose a different book about imaginative flights of fancy and appreciating the here and now. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

"A very cute and memorable little book about the power of gratitude and taking the opportunity to stop and observe the world around you." - Rogene Carter (Educator)

"This picture book strikes a wonderful balance between dreaming about possibilities and also being accepting and welcoming of what you already have right in front of you. It encourages readers to imagine and wonder, but also to appreciate and be still. I love the variety of ways to look up and the different things to see. I also love that it ends with questions that would lead right into discussions/activities whether you are using this book for storytime, for a lesson or for your own kids at home. It’s a picture book that could be used to inspire adults and coworkers as well." - Christie Belle (Educator)

"When I Look Up" is a beautiful picture book that encourages children to view the world around them. In an era where screens demand our attention and our heads are constantly tucked down, this picture book addresses the need to commune with nature, explore the world, and participate in outdoor play and imaginative games." - Jenna Mueller (Librarian)

From the Publisher

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