Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

by Oliver Jeffers

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.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Space, Science, Nature, Earth

47 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2017

About the author

Oliver Jeffers' work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in galleries worldwide, and HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA publish his award-winning picture books, now translated into over 30 languages.

In 2007, Jeffers was the official illustrator for World Book Day, and in 2008 Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London-based Studio AKA.

Jeffers won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo, and in 2013 Jeffers co-directed the video for U2's Ordinary Love with Premo. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jeffers now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.



Wondrous and memorable. Here We Are is a must-read for all ages.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO Sweet! A father’s story explaining his world when his child is 2 months old.

I love this book. It does the macrocosm all the way to the day to day, not quite microcosm. It is powerful to show how small this little planet is in all that space and then when you see all the diversity and wonders on Earth, it really does make this place feel special. I love his art work. Oliver does a fantastic job of showing the Earth and I love the pages with all the different sizes, shapes and colors of people, like blue people, and all the different animals.

It has a great way of making me appreciate that this is our place and how we treat the world is up to us.

My niece gave this too me to read. She picked it out. She told me it was a good book and I would like it. She was right. She knows what I like. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew liked all the space stuff. He asked if there was a robot in the rocket ship. Sure we said. He gave it 4 stars too. I like the big concept to really appreciate what we have. He says, there is enough for everyone. I think this is a special book.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the birth of his first child, Jeffers wanted to capture what is important to him with regards to the Earth and how he wants his son to live his life on it. Much like his own father (see the back of the book), Jeffers focuses on the need for kindness and care to the planet and each other and to embrace the fact that we are all different and yet, the same. It's a beautiful story, dotted with some laugh-out-loud humour and little intertextual references to earlier work.
I'm much preferring Jeffers' newer work since he wrote This Moose Belongs to Me, his standard of art has greatly improved and this book is no exception. I also like how he is becoming more political in his age and this important message about embracing our diversity throughout the book is a very important one. A wonderful little treasure.

[Roya · Rating 5 out of 5]

امشب بیشتر از 12 تا کتابِ کودک خوندم!😅😍
و باید بگم بهترین‌شون همین کتاب بود
جدای از نقاشیای خیلی خیلی محشرش که که قلب آدمو نوازش می‌کرد، محتوای مفید و جالبی داشت
دلم می‌خواد همین الان دوباره برگردم و بخونمش🥺💜

[Shaimaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

أقرأ هذه القصص لنفسي؛ على سبيلِ المواساة والرّأفة بالنفس.
مثلهم، أحتاجُ أن أتذكّر بأنّنا نعيشُ على اليابسة، وأنّ الليل يعقب النهار، وأنّ الحيوانات أكثر تنوّعًا منّا.
مثلهم، أستعيدُ الشعور بضربات قلبي حين يخبرني أحدهم بأنّ معظم أعضاءنا لا تملك القدرة على إعادة النموّ.
في فكرة أنّنا نعيش، وأنّنا لسنا وحدنا، شيءٌ غريزيٌّ مطمئنٌ لنا نحن الكبار، فكيف بأولئك الملائكة الصغار؟

[ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a gift for my aunt and uncle who are having their first kid. This is so beautiful, I might buy another one for me. I’m trying to keep myself from crying. The perfect book to read to a tiny, new human, but no matter what your age is, this book will make a home in your heart.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm slowly making my way through The 7 Loveliest Children’s Books of 2017 as selected by brainpickings. You can see the list here: https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/12...

This is the first picture book on the list that I've read ad I liked it. Bringing a child into the world has got to be a life changing thing, especially in the world we inhabit these days. This lovely picture book is written for the author's baby son, introducing him to this planet we all call home. The art is lovely and the message about taking care of oneself as well as the planet spot on. As with most books by the author, I appreciated the art more than the text. This would be good read aloud book for the littles in your life.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe inspiring, kind, tolerant, overwhelming, sweet, intimate, cute, funny, tender, philosophical, practical and absolutely beautiful.

[Figgy]

Review to come, but in short this is a gorgeous book about our planet and the people who live here, written as an introduction for the youngest members of the human race.

There are some laughs as well as things many parents will be able to relate to, and the overall message that we're all people and we should be kind to one another is something that is too often forgotten in adulthood.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye.

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply beautiful. In these times of civil unrest, sometimes a simple book can give us the insight we crave.

"There are only three words you need to live by, son: respect, consideration and tolerance."

This should be mandatory reading for every person on Earth, each morning before they make their way out to face the day. It would get everyone, young and old, in the right frame of mind to face their fellow man and the big world out there, where, we are reminded, no one is ever alone.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrated author/artist Oliver Jeffers, inspired by the birth of his son, presents a picture-book love letter to our planet in this beautiful new book. "Here we are," the narrator informs us, pointing to our blue globe, as it hangs in space. From the land to the sea, from people to animals, all the wonderful, marvelous kinds of creature and thing that go to make up our planet are detailed. So too are various pieces of advice about living in this world of ours, from cherishing the time we have (there isn't much of it) to being kind to the other residents. In the end, on Earth, you are never alone...

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth is Jeffers' newest book, and I think that it is (along with A Child of Books ) one of my absolute favorites. The narrative is simple, but immensely moving, highlighting as it does both the diversity and the unity of life on Earth. The artwork is simply breathtaking! Jeffers utilizes a gorgeous color palette here, whether it be the purples of space (and the mountains) or the rainbow hues of Earth's peoples, in their many different garbs. I think my favorite pages were those on which so many different people and animals were depicted. I loved some of the humorous details here - the Dodo Bird, on the animal page, is thinking "I'm not supposed to be here" - but most of all I loved the sense of heart, the sense that this truly is a meditation on all that is important, in our earth-bound lives. Recommended to Jeffers' fans, and to anyone looking for children's picture-books about living in and belonging to the world.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am charmed. A very good birthday gift to a recently birthed child. It doesn't resemble Mo Willem's instruction manual, but it delighted me just as much.

Library copy

[Tyler Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. As the reader, you are invited to fully immerse yourself into the intriguing wonders on Earth and beyond. The voice is calm and kind, with a hint of humour- the perfect balance.

The quotes at the end of the book were insightful into Oliver's life and the wisdom his father gifted to him. He has incorporated this wisdom through the pages in the book, which for me was very powerful:
'There are only three words you need to live by, son: respect, consideration and tolerance'- Oliver's father.

[Gert De Bie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beste geboortecadeau ooit.

We zijn fan van Oliver Jeffers, maar met Samen hier overtreft hij zichzelf. Op een originele en frisse manier stelt hij de wereld aan een boreling voor en vertelt hij hoe je daar je weg kan vinden.

Hartverwarmend, humoristisch, oprecht en relevant. Prachtig.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read all seven of the books Maria Popova (on twitter) says were the loveliest picture books of 2017:

https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/12...

and this was the seventh, by the always unique and usually quirky Oliver Jeffers. Now it could be that I was hoping this book was actually a book about environmental activism for kids (which wouldn't be fair to judge him for, failing to meet MY expectations for a book about Earth!), but I couldn't figure out its purpose.

So I admit I turned to Popova and for the first time, read the article all the way through, and read then about this book! Oh! It's a visual letter to his first unborn child wherein he is introducing the kid to planet Earth, where he will arrive soon to live! Aw!!! I was going to give this three stars, but he gets a star just for that, without question, right? Jeffers as artist/illustrator is awesome, sweet, whimsical.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, nice artwork and interesting idea - notes for living on planet earth. The opening page looked like the opening scene of the Clangers (we are big fans) and I expected some Clangeresque philosophy on our place in the universe and looking after our planet. After a promising first few pages the story then showed and told us we have a skeleton and internal organs and the next page says The most important things for people to remember are to eat, drink, and stay warm. This is accompanied by an illustration of someone eating a take away pizza. Then there were some pages showing how people come in different shapes and sizes but we are all the same. There were more pages about night and day and animals being different. All the other reviews I read loved this book so worth a go if you see it in the library!

[I.Shayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

عالیه حتما بخونید و از دستش ندید
طراحیا بی‌نظیره و انقدر هم چیز دوست داشتنی و کیوت تو این کتاب توصیف شده و توضیح داده شده که قطعا بچه ها لذت میبرن و بزرگ‌ترا عاشقش میشن

[Leo Oliveira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu simplesmente quero morar nessa história. Um livro tão simples e tão importante! Façam de "Aqui estamos nós" uma leitura necessária, por favor.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like anything about this one. Disappointed.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

با اینکه کتاب کودک همیشه آخرین سنگرم بوده و اولیور جفرز از بهترین و حال خوب‌کن‌ترین‌ها بوده برام، یه تایم زیادی از آثارش فاصله گرفتم چون میرفتم سراغشون یاد یه شخص اذیت کننده‌ای مینداختتم و باعث میشد دیگه لذت‌بخش نباشه برام.
این سری ولی لذت بردم^_^ه
فقط خواستم برا خودم بنویسم یادم بمونه چرا یهو آثارش رو دیگه نخوندم یا چرا مثلا این پنج نشده برام.
۱۴۰۴.۰۴

[Kimberly Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrated and written by artist, writer, and father Oliver Jeffers as he lovingly welcomes his child to the world. It appears likely the father has been contemplating both the miracle of life and the miracle of our fragile existence on earth. His awe-inspiring art portrays what he feels is important for his child to know about life. His words are few and message subtle. Planet earth, the starry sky and universe, the land and sea. Humanity in all its shapes, sizes, and colors, land and sea animals in all shapes, sizes, colors. A message to be kind to others, to one’s body, and to “look after the earth, as it’s all we’ve got.”
And on the nature of time, the author says to use it well, as it goes by quickly.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it and immediately bought it for the kids on my Christmas list. Told with Jeffers' signature humor and voice, you can feel his love for his son throughout the pages. The illustrations are incredible and the story is simple and perfect.

[Alejandra Arévalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aquí estoy.

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prachtige illustraties! Er is zoveel te zien!

[Izabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

RYSNINGAR. Vilken fantastisk bok. Bilderna är SÅ VACKRA och texten likaså (fast också rolig). Bilderbok som man kan rekommendera till alla föräldrar, det finns mycket att prata om med barnet här.

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add this to your shopping list for any new babies being born, or for holiday/birthday presents for the littlest ones in your life! This is a beautiful piece of art that is a message to our little citizens about the mysterious world that they live in and how to understand and take care of it. It's equally for grown-ups, though, and has surprisingly deep messages woven throughout the simple narrative. All of the important things about life and the world are distilled in this sparse text and gorgeously illustrated volume.

As a school librarian, I think this is a great one to share with younger classes in a storytime setting, but I see it being enjoyed most fully in a one-on-one lap or bedtime snuggle session. The illustrations are so detailed that children will be able to pore over them independently for ages.

Thanks so much to Penguin Young Readers for the complimentary review copy of this title - all opinions are my own.

[Olivia Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven’t been a fan of the Oliver Jeffers books I’ve read recently but I loved this one. The illustrations are amazing and so detailed. The words are so simple but put the point across perfectly. It shows us that the world is such a big place and there is so much more to discover! Great for children to understand the scale of the world they live in.

[Lydia Duncalfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’re never alone on Earth”.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unas ilustraciones preciosas, con una gama de colores divina e ideas sencillas pero llegadoras.

_____

Me gustaría comenzar esta reseña con una frase de Carl Sagan en referencia a la imagen captada por la sonda espacial Vogayer 1 en 1990. En ella, en ese pálido punto azul, estamos nosotros. Esa es la Tierra.

“Mira de nuevo a ese punto. Eso es aquí. Es nuestra casa. Eso somos nosotros. En ese punto están todos los que amas, todos los que conoces, todos de los que has escuchado hablar, cada ser humano que alguna vez existió, aquellos que vivieron sus vidas. La suma de nuestra alegría y sufrimiento, miles de religiones, ideologías, doctrinas económicas, cada cazador y recolector, cada héroe y cobarde, cada creador y destructor de la civilización, cada rey y campesino, cada pareja enamorada, cada madre y cada padre, niños llenos de esperanza, inventores y exploradores, cada maestro con ética, cada político corrupto, cada superestrella, cada líder supremo, cada santo y pecador en la historia de nuestra especie vivió allí, en una mota de polvo suspendida en un rayo de sol.”

Traigo a colación esto porque Aquí estamos, nos habla precisamente, de lo hermoso que es nuestro planeta. De su diversidad, no solo entre sus animales, sino en sus humanos; nos habla de valores, de lo mucho que le hace falta a este planeta, del valor que le damos a la vida y de nuestro lugar aquí, donde estamos. Para mí, una adulta de 27 que aun busca su camino, sus ilustraciones y palabras me hicieron pensar y pensar en dónde estoy y qué hago.

Y es que este libro ilustrado te invita a recordar que todos somos diferentes, pero al mismo tiempo, iguales. Te invita a recordar que eres parte de algo, de un planeta, aunque a veces en el traqueteo de la vida no te des cuenta. Por su sencillez, al ser una obra dedicada hacia los niños, Oliver Jeffers transmite todo ese amor de manera efímera, en una gama de colores brillantes y muy pocas palabras. Creo que para un niño puede resultar más sencillo de entender, porque normalmente, creo yo, son puros y no tienen la cabeza llena de pensamientos angustiantes y dolorosos como los adultos. No juzgan por religiones, aspectos o estatus. Creo que los adultos sí tendemos a hacerlo y por ello, Jeffers habla mayormente de lo que él quiere transmitir a su hijo: el mensaje del amor.

Me invitó a la reflexión y creo yo que por ello deberían leerlo. Lo recomiendo bastante, sí que sí.
Para terminar, un fragmento de una meditación que encontré desde hace un tiempo.

Así que aquí estamos, en ese pálido punto azul. Pequeñas motas de polvo existiendo por un momento. Arrojados a través del espacio y el tiempo, tan solo para brillar por unos momentos. Estos momentos son todo lo que tenemos en esta vida. Trabajamos, reímos, lloramos, hacemos el amor, escribimos libros, construimos imperios, creamos guerras. A menudo tratamos de ignorar el hecho de que estos momentos son temporales. Que todos nuestros imperios y el producto nacional bruto, que nuestro arte y nuestra literatura, que nuestros pantalones de diseñador de trescientos dólares, que todo nuestro conocimiento y tecnología, creatividad y legado será borrado. Todo va a desaparecer en algún punto junto a todo lo demás.

Exhalación, efímera, insignificante. Todo y todos son una exhalación. Están aquí por unos momentos y después, se han ido. Este pensamiento alentador puede ser deprimente o puede ser absolutamente liberador. Podemos seguir el camino que siguen muchos de los que nos rodean e ignorar este hecho, medicándonos y privándonos de nuestros sentimientos para evitar la verdad de nuestra humanidad; o quizá hay otro camino: podemos aceptarla. Podemos reconocer nuestro humilde lugar en este universo. Podemos reconocer la estupidez de la arrogancia humana. Y quizá como resultado, podamos aprender a apreciar y experimentar plenamente los momentos que tenemos como los regalos que son.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the course of three days more than seventy-five girls and boys looked and listened. There were collective gasps and sighs. There were nods of understanding. There was even applause at the conclusion.

Nine and ten-year old children are gifted with a unique kind of wisdom and freedom of thought. These students realize a father has not only given his son but other daughters and sons of the present and future a remarkable gift. HERE WE ARE: NOTES FOR LIVING ON PLANET EARTH (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, November 14, 2017) written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is a message of hope, a gift of love.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...