YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

We
are all part of the vast universe, and many of its elements, large and small,
are within us. It “showers [us] with gifts.”

The
team that is responsible for previous works of philosophical science (You Are Stardust, 2012; Wild
Ideas, 2015) takes on yet another huge concept. Beginning with water
from rain that provides fresh drinking water and oxygen supplied by plants,
then winding through the complex ecosystem that sustains and protects life on
our planet, Kelsey provides examples and explanations of how we are all
connected: to microorganisms, insects, algae, soil, and every living plant and
creature, all of which affect everything in our bodies and everything we do.
Children might find some of the scientific material hard to grasp, but it is
all elegantly presented in soaring, vivid language that is not a bit
condescending. The second-person address posits a singular reader, directly
addressed in a conversational tone, and yet emphasizes that every individual
has the same connections. Each bit of information is paired with appropriate
scenes from Kim’s exquisite, intricate dioramas. Double-page spreads depict
children of varying races flying, floating, even cavorting with animals and
plants of land and sea in fantastical, colorful settings that also contain carefully
constructed realistic elements. Endpapers present smaller, framed versions of
the dioramas and invite readers to examine them closely.

Both
important and breathtakingly beautiful. (Informational picture book. 5-12)