We Are All Under One Wide Sky

April 15, 2021
This lyrical counting book is a reminder that no matter what they look like, where they live, or whom they call a family, children all around the world live under the same sky. The book's first half is a poem that counts from one up to 10, incorporating imagery ranging from two clouds and three songbirds to ten whirligigs. In the second half of the book, the poem counts back down to one, this time starting with nine shadows and culminating with two "sleepyheads" before ending "under one wide sky," a refrain that repeatedly pulls the text together. While no countries or faiths are named, the characters and locations in the illustrations clearly hail from all over the world. In one illustration, for example, a young boy wears a yarmulke while in another, an image of what appears to be Australia's Uluru fills the background. The characters include a child who appears Black, a brown-skinned hijabi, and other kids displaying a variety of hair textures and skin colors. The sparse verse, related in couplets, is studded with gorgeous imagery and ingeniously chosen verbs: On one page, for example, the author describes how shadows "butter" the ground. The illustrator's use of a muted palette lends the pictures a gentle, ethereal feel that ably complements the text. A work of understated beauty that will delight both children and the adults who read to them. (Picture book. 2-5)

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June 1, 2021
Grades K-3 Wiles' picture-book nod to diversity and inclusion is also a rhyming counting book. Children of many races and ethnicities picnic under one wide sky, while two clouds glide, three songbirds sail, four fir trees stand, five feathers are plucked, and six tulips bloom. After 10 whirligigs spin the count reverses, with new scenes and objects. Most spreads are kid-centric (three goodnight kisses); many are culturally distinct (five Chinese lanterns); others have less obvious connections (six crickets creeping inside an empty shoe). Architect and illustrator Stegmaier's art features round-faced tots, smiling animals, and subtle background clues that situate many scenes in specific locales. Blues and greens predominate, but a wide color palette appears throughout. Perhaps the most interesting spreads are those depicting ""one wide sky."" They appear periodically (like a musical chorus) and feature children involved in a group activity such as eating, sitting in a tree house, playing outside a Mediterranean-style apartment building, and flying kites. While some cultural clues may elude the youngest, the message of shared commonalities comes through loud and clear.

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June 21, 2021
Children all over the world coexist “under one wide sky,” a phrase that serves as a uniting refrain in this inclusive counting picture book. Wiles offers rhyming couplet portraits in short lines that feature flora and fauna (“Seven moonflowers open wide.// Six crickets creep inside”) as well as interpersonal relationships (“Three kisses, soft and sweet// Two sleepyheads fast asleep”) in a narrative that counts from one to 10 and back down again. Employing an earth-toned palette and a bird motif, Stegmaier adds dynamic illustrations in a friendly style rendered in both traditional and digital media. Children with varying abilities, cultural apparel, hair styles, religions, and skin tones mingle amid international landscapes, from Paris to Santorini to Australia’s Uluru. Young readers will appreciate poring over the plentiful details in the art, while adults will appreciate this counting picture book’s multipurpose use as a bedtime story and encouragement toward global citizenry. Ages 4–8.