What do you think?
Rate this book
We Are All Dots: A Big Plan for a Better World
With gentle wisdom and visual originality, this deceptively simple book makes the case that compassion is the solution to humanity’s challenges.
The perfect book for any child curious about differences and diversity, this visually driven story bears a decidedly modern and inspiring message about compassion, cooperation, and a sense of shared humanity—all qualities that appear increasingly rare in recent months. With simple black-and-white drawings—little more than black and white dots and the images (of a hamburger, of a skyscraper, of a Ferris wheel, etc.) they make when arranged just so—this fantastic tale of neighbors tells a story of a world, much like our own, of haves and have-nots.
Beginning with a set of prosperous dots on one page and another set of impoverished dots on the other, the book takes us through their struggle to bridge their differences. Just when it looks look like the dots will be forever doomed, they work together to find a solution that will help them all. Great things happen when we learn to share and work together.
The perfect book for any child curious about differences and diversity, this visually driven story bears a decidedly modern and inspiring message about compassion, cooperation, and a sense of shared humanity—all qualities that appear increasingly rare in recent months. With simple black-and-white drawings—little more than black and white dots and the images (of a hamburger, of a skyscraper, of a Ferris wheel, etc.) they make when arranged just so—this fantastic tale of neighbors tells a story of a world, much like our own, of haves and have-nots.
Beginning with a set of prosperous dots on one page and another set of impoverished dots on the other, the book takes us through their struggle to bridge their differences. Just when it looks look like the dots will be forever doomed, they work together to find a solution that will help them all. Great things happen when we learn to share and work together.
48 pages, Hardcover
Published February 20, 2018
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Giancarlo Macrì
12 booksGiancarlo Macrì is an actor, musician, and the founding member of the Italian theatrical ensemble Banda Osiris. He regularly appears on television and composes and records music. He has received many prestigious awards including the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear and the David di Donatello.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 3, 2019
Difference and inclusion - great lesson for small children.
April 11, 2018
Books that teach compassion are my favorite kinds of books.
July 26, 2018
Dots come in all styles and sizes, but the real challenge is to look past differences to create something new and wondrous. A fabulous picture book about acceptance, problem solving, and working together. The format and style of the book reminded me of The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.
Recommended for grades K-2. Lexile Level: N/A
Reviewed by Christine Hwang, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
Recommended for grades K-2. Lexile Level: N/A
Reviewed by Christine Hwang, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
February 7, 2018
I am a teacher-librarian at a Canadian middle school with an extended French program for Grade 7 and 8. I don't speak a lot of French, but even with my limited skills, I ADORED this book! It explores, through the artwork of two different coloured dots, the challenges of immigration and sharing resources and lives. The language is simple, but the message is powerful.
August 8, 2018
A simple and interesting way of looking at immigration, inequality, and how we should all be in this together.
November 5, 2019
Really liked this wow
August 4, 2019
In general, I liked the book. The first dots, the comfortable dots, are on the right side of the page, and filled in like this: •. The struggling dots look like this: ○. The simple graphics and simple text come together to make complex issues of poverty and privilege easier to visualize: poverty and population have to do with shared, but limited resources. And it's this simplicity that troubles me.
The move of the "have" dots (•) to into the space previously inhabited by the "have-not"dots (○) on the left page to "help" them sounds a lot like gentrification, providing housing, fun things to do, and food to eat. They help with building and infrastructure: great. I'm still with it, though, until we get to the two-page spread near the end. It depicts both dots, completely integrated and arranged like Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" from the Sistine Chapel. The finger on the right is reaching out like God to reach the limp finger of humanity on the left.
This bothers me. Like the right side is creating and saving the space (and dots) on the left side. When we look at all of the images/configurations of what is built, the crane and plants, computers, buildings, appliances are all constructed with the have dots on the outside, making the structures with the have-not dots filling in the center. The subtle idea that outsiders are responsible for building and defining how the have-nots live is troubling.
I understand that this is a children's book. But, as a children's librarian, I want to be careful about what ideas I present to children. While this book provides a great start for discussion, I would strongly recommend that it not be the only source used for having delicate discussions such as this one about poverty and community.
The move of the "have" dots (•) to into the space previously inhabited by the "have-not"dots (○) on the left page to "help" them sounds a lot like gentrification, providing housing, fun things to do, and food to eat. They help with building and infrastructure: great. I'm still with it, though, until we get to the two-page spread near the end. It depicts both dots, completely integrated and arranged like Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" from the Sistine Chapel. The finger on the right is reaching out like God to reach the limp finger of humanity on the left.
This bothers me. Like the right side is creating and saving the space (and dots) on the left side. When we look at all of the images/configurations of what is built, the crane and plants, computers, buildings, appliances are all constructed with the have dots on the outside, making the structures with the have-not dots filling in the center. The subtle idea that outsiders are responsible for building and defining how the have-nots live is troubling.
I understand that this is a children's book. But, as a children's librarian, I want to be careful about what ideas I present to children. While this book provides a great start for discussion, I would strongly recommend that it not be the only source used for having delicate discussions such as this one about poverty and community.
June 9, 2021
I'm sure this book has good intentions, but it ends up coming across kind of weirdly. And it's not a bad way to introduce kids to Michaelangelo's God/Adam, but I'm guessing many won't get the reference in the first place, and then once they do - are one set of dots supposed to be God?? Or what?
March 15, 2019
This was a great book, it's simple and also has depth. I read it with some kids that are learning English and have a very basic grasp on the language. It had a nice message of unity and helping each other and learning from each other to make a better world.
February 12, 2017
Das italienische Autorenpaar erzählt die Geschichte eines kleinen schwarzen Punktes, der mit seinen vielen Freunden eine großformatige Buchseite füllen kann. In der Menge schwarzer Punkte lässt sich die einzelne Figur nicht mehr von den anderen unterscheiden. Ein anderer Punkt sieht anders aus, er besteht nur aus einem schwarzen Kringel. Die Kringelgruppe möchte gern auf die Seite der Punkte kommen, weil auf ihrer eigenen Seite der Welt das Leben zu schwer für sie ist. Die Schwarzpunkte lassen an wenigen Übergängen ein paar Kringel ein. Als nun viele Kringel nachdrängen, schreit jemand Stop, nicht drängeln! Punkte und Kringel beginnen, eine gemeinsame Lösung zu finden, indem sie aus Punkten und Kringeln Gegenstände bilden. Als Lösung bietet die Geschichte eine Gesellschaft an, in der alle Mitglieder halb Punkt und halb Kringel sind.
Mit abstrakten Darstellungen in Bilderbüchern habe ich mit Kindern im Kindergartenalter erstaunliche Erfahrungen gemacht, weil einige von ihnen Formen und Symbole personalisieren und sich sehr empathisch in sie einfühlen können. Eine Darstellung wie diese kann auch zum Malen eigener Bilder anregen. Sehr gut gelungen finde ich hier die Abstraktion einer Menschenmasse und dass eine Gruppe sich erst beraten muss, wie sie einen überwältigenden Ansturm bewältigt. Für eine Zielgruppe ab 4 Jahren finde ich jedoch zum einen den Anspruch zu hoch, Kindern mit dieser Geschichte die Flüchtlingsproblematik zu vermitteln. Zum anderen gefällt mir weniger, dass die Lösung in der Anpassung beider Seiten an ein einheitliches Bild besteht. Einwandererländer wie Kanada und Australien sind ja gerade stolz darauf, eine bunte, vielfältige Gesellschaft zu bilden, in der die Punkte zusammen leben würden, aber ihr individuelles Aussehen behalten könnten.
Mit abstrakten Darstellungen in Bilderbüchern habe ich mit Kindern im Kindergartenalter erstaunliche Erfahrungen gemacht, weil einige von ihnen Formen und Symbole personalisieren und sich sehr empathisch in sie einfühlen können. Eine Darstellung wie diese kann auch zum Malen eigener Bilder anregen. Sehr gut gelungen finde ich hier die Abstraktion einer Menschenmasse und dass eine Gruppe sich erst beraten muss, wie sie einen überwältigenden Ansturm bewältigt. Für eine Zielgruppe ab 4 Jahren finde ich jedoch zum einen den Anspruch zu hoch, Kindern mit dieser Geschichte die Flüchtlingsproblematik zu vermitteln. Zum anderen gefällt mir weniger, dass die Lösung in der Anpassung beider Seiten an ein einheitliches Bild besteht. Einwandererländer wie Kanada und Australien sind ja gerade stolz darauf, eine bunte, vielfältige Gesellschaft zu bilden, in der die Punkte zusammen leben würden, aber ihr individuelles Aussehen behalten könnten.
April 25, 2018
We Are All Dots: A Big Plan for a Better World is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Giancarlo Macrí and is a book about two very different countries of dots and their relationship with each other.
The text is very simplistic and straightforward it is a story about two countries filled with dots and it's a very nice allegory story on how we should treat one another with compassion and cooperation. The illustrations are simplistic with black and white dots all over the page – they do form complex images like a simplistic form of pointillism – images made up with big dots.
The premise of the book is simplistic and straightforward. There are two countries, the black dots live on the right side of the page and they are prosperous and wealthy, the white dots live on the left side of the page and they are underprivileged and are struggling. To help their neighbors the black dots invite some white dots to live on their land. However, too many came over and the right side of the page is too crowded – they had to stop the immigration. Yet the black dots still want to help their neighbors, so some black dots move to left side of the page to help out their white dots there – and they live happily ever after. It ends with two dots greeting each other and they are half black and half-white.
All in all, We Are All Dots: A Big Plan for a Better World is a wonderful children's book about diversity, compassion, cooperation, sharing – the best of humanity's traits to solve a big difficult problems. It is a wonderful allegory to what is happening today told in very simplistic, albeit effective manner.
The text is very simplistic and straightforward it is a story about two countries filled with dots and it's a very nice allegory story on how we should treat one another with compassion and cooperation. The illustrations are simplistic with black and white dots all over the page – they do form complex images like a simplistic form of pointillism – images made up with big dots.
The premise of the book is simplistic and straightforward. There are two countries, the black dots live on the right side of the page and they are prosperous and wealthy, the white dots live on the left side of the page and they are underprivileged and are struggling. To help their neighbors the black dots invite some white dots to live on their land. However, too many came over and the right side of the page is too crowded – they had to stop the immigration. Yet the black dots still want to help their neighbors, so some black dots move to left side of the page to help out their white dots there – and they live happily ever after. It ends with two dots greeting each other and they are half black and half-white.
All in all, We Are All Dots: A Big Plan for a Better World is a wonderful children's book about diversity, compassion, cooperation, sharing – the best of humanity's traits to solve a big difficult problems. It is a wonderful allegory to what is happening today told in very simplistic, albeit effective manner.
February 21, 2019
It started with dots with friends and friends and friends and friends and friends.And another group of dots with friends and family and friends and friends and friends came . The first group of dots were lucky so the other group came .But took up to much space,so they shared the space.So they made things together.The book is about teamwork. The book made me feel happy because they shared. The book is fiction.
February 18, 2019
I like this book because on one side, there's boring, and on the other side, there's not: awesome awesome awesome. The black dots have the cool place and the white dots have the boring place, so the white dots go to the black dots. Some of the white dots go to the black dots and some of the black dots go to the white dots. The make a dot machine because the boring side is very boring: they have nothing to do.
July 3, 2018
This is the best children's book I have read this year. It is interesting, makes a statement, has fun parts, serious parts, and is perfect introduction to social issues for children. Yes, it is a very simplified explanation of immigration, and yes it is a touch Disney-fied, but those two factors are what make it work for me. This is a book that should and will find its way into homes and classrooms.
November 13, 2018
I've read it 3 times to my grandchildren (ages 5 through 10) and they keep asking to hear it again.
Their comments while reading, and throughout our long discussions after reading, made me wish THEY were running the world!
This simple story, simply illustrated, helps generate discussions on many important topics without preaching. Dots, just dots. We are all dots. There is so much we can accomplish when we work together!
Their comments while reading, and throughout our long discussions after reading, made me wish THEY were running the world!
This simple story, simply illustrated, helps generate discussions on many important topics without preaching. Dots, just dots. We are all dots. There is so much we can accomplish when we work together!
September 29, 2018
With wonderful simplicity, this book introduces the themes of inequality and immigration and international aid. Kind of mind boggling that themes as complex as that can be so thoroughly and thoughtfully encompassed in so simple a story. That would be a fun read aloud in school. I wonder if it would be controversial. If hope not, but it might be fun to find out.
December 27, 2019
We Are All Dots... a story of sharing and working together for the greater good. Simply illustrated with dots, the brief narrations create an inspirational world we can teach our children about differences and similarities.
July 31, 2018
This is a great plan, until the orange dot comes along and puts all the brown dots into concentration camps and uphold systemic racism toward the black dots. Don't even get me started on what he does to the female dots and the LGBTQ dot community.
June 2, 2018
What a beautiful story. It's a shame the world wasn't actually like this :'(
June 13, 2018
Fantastic book with a message on making the world a better place. LOVE!
June 22, 2018
wow! really impressed with this design concept & idea for kids (and all ages). very well done
July 2, 2018
My toddler requests this book at least twice a day because she loves all the dots. The story is a tad simplistic, but important nonetheless and should lead to thoughtful discussions with students.
July 17, 2018
Such a simple and poignant book
September 17, 2018
A simple book with a deep message. I read this book with students in grades JK-2 and we had some incredible discussions. Also useful for author's and illustrator's purpose.
November 25, 2018
I would love to use this to teach empathy and gratitude.
January 1, 2019
The summary says it all. Great book for any school library.
January 16, 2019
Age: Kindergarten-3rd grade
Tough Issue: Poverty
On the right side of the page, one group of dots lead happy, healthy lives. They have housing, fun things to do, and food. For another group of dots on the left side of the page, life is harder. Seeking a better life, the left side attempts to move over to the right side but not without push back from the right dots and, eventually, overcrowding. "We need another solution." To help solve this inequity, the right dots begin to immigrate to the left side and all dots work together to build a better world for both sides of the page.
A simplified way to address global inequities to children. However, it feels false to provide a solution that is incredibly uncommon in the real world and, when it is performed, it becomes gentrification, causing poor people to lose once again.
This is no easy topic to address but Macri provides a happier ending for children to help foster hope and change in the future generation.
Tough Issue: Poverty
On the right side of the page, one group of dots lead happy, healthy lives. They have housing, fun things to do, and food. For another group of dots on the left side of the page, life is harder. Seeking a better life, the left side attempts to move over to the right side but not without push back from the right dots and, eventually, overcrowding. "We need another solution." To help solve this inequity, the right dots begin to immigrate to the left side and all dots work together to build a better world for both sides of the page.
A simplified way to address global inequities to children. However, it feels false to provide a solution that is incredibly uncommon in the real world and, when it is performed, it becomes gentrification, causing poor people to lose once again.
This is no easy topic to address but Macri provides a happier ending for children to help foster hope and change in the future generation.
February 15, 2021
Das Buch behandelt das Thema Migration auf eine etwas andere Art und Weise - verdeutlicht mit Punkten.
Auf den verschiedenen Seiten wird zuerst die Ausgangssituation der Länder betrachtet, welche Ziel der Migranten sind und dann die Ausgangssituation und Begründung warum die Leute (Punkte) migrieren, wieso es aber auch solche Schwierigkeiten gibt und was mögliche Lösungen sein könnten.
Eine wie ich finde total kreative Herangehensweise an das Thema, die es nicht nur vereinfacht, sondern gerade somit zugänglicher darstellt.
Ebenfalls die wichtigen Punkte anspricht, z.B. die Abstimmung der Politik oder die unterschiedlichen Voraussetzungen beider Parteien. Hier vor allem großartig dargestellt durch gefüllte und nicht gefülltr Punkte.
Auch das Ende ist sehr sweet, der Lösungansatz, obwohl logisch, allerdings etwas zu einfach gewählt.
Ein schönes Buch, gerade für Kinder, um sich dem Thema der Migration zu nähern.
Klare Empfehlung!
Auf den verschiedenen Seiten wird zuerst die Ausgangssituation der Länder betrachtet, welche Ziel der Migranten sind und dann die Ausgangssituation und Begründung warum die Leute (Punkte) migrieren, wieso es aber auch solche Schwierigkeiten gibt und was mögliche Lösungen sein könnten.
Eine wie ich finde total kreative Herangehensweise an das Thema, die es nicht nur vereinfacht, sondern gerade somit zugänglicher darstellt.
Ebenfalls die wichtigen Punkte anspricht, z.B. die Abstimmung der Politik oder die unterschiedlichen Voraussetzungen beider Parteien. Hier vor allem großartig dargestellt durch gefüllte und nicht gefülltr Punkte.
Auch das Ende ist sehr sweet, der Lösungansatz, obwohl logisch, allerdings etwas zu einfach gewählt.
Ein schönes Buch, gerade für Kinder, um sich dem Thema der Migration zu nähern.
Klare Empfehlung!
August 6, 2021
Another story appropriate for discussion of immigration and refugees. It begins with only one page of each double page with an illustration of dots. Gradually different dots are included on the other page.
Their circumstances are less salubrious and they want to immigrate. Eventually they work out an appropriate deal.
Once again, the pictures tell as much, if not more, than the text.
Their circumstances are less salubrious and they want to immigrate. Eventually they work out an appropriate deal.
Once again, the pictures tell as much, if not more, than the text.
October 29, 2018
O my goodness. The ending is so simple and yet right to the point. Together we can accomplish so much! Such a great simple illustrated book. Nothing but dots and a few words together to create an important message.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews