Here: The Dot We Call Home

by Laura Alary, Cathrin Peterslund (Illustrator)

The Dot We Call Home is a simple and enchanting book that invites children to see themselves as both descendants and ancestors, and caretakers of our beautiful planet.  This is my home. I live here. But I am not the first…  When a child finds clues that others have lived in her house before her, she begins to wonder about them, and about those who will come after her. The more she wonders, the more her sense of home expands, stretching to include an entire planet.  With her thoughtful approach and her unique ability to make big concepts engaging and personal to children, Laura Alary invites readers along for the ride, zooming through time and space to the outer reaches of our solar system for a new perspective on the planet we share. The child How can something so big seem so small? But How can something so small seem so big? Overwhelmed by the mess that humans have left behind, in the end she realizes that there is only one thing to start where she is.  In spare and simple words, The Dot We Call Home helps children begin to think of themselves as both descendants and ancestors, and to comprehend that people of every place and time share one home, and the task of looking after it.  The Dot We Call Home    Add it to the shelf with books like If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall and Here We Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers. 

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

Many years have passed since Laura used to make her own books with manila paper, mucilage and crayons. Nowadays her books look much more professional, but the process of creating them is as much fun as it always was!

In her writing , Laura draws upon her background in Classics, theology and biblical studies, as well as her long-standing interest in ancient history, folklore, mythology, and science.

Her books are meant to teach and to entertain, but most of all, to encourage children to wonder about the world and to ask really big questions.

Laura's books include: All the Faces of Me (Owlkids, 2023); Here: The Dot We Call Home (Paraclete Press, 2022); Sun in My Tummy (Pajama Press, 2022); The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything (Kids Can Press, 2022); Breathe: A Child's Guide to Ascension, Pentecost, and the Growing Time (Paraclete Press, 2021); What Grew in Larry's Garden (Kids Can Press, 2020); Read, Wonder, Listen: Stories from the Bible for Young Readers (Wood Lake Books, 2018); Look! A Child's Guide to Advent and Christmas (Paraclete Press, 2017); Make Room: A Child's Guide to Lent and Easter (Paraclete Press, 2016); How Do I Pray for Grandpa? (CopperHouse, 2014); Mira and the Big Story (Skinner House, 2012); Victor's Pink Pyjamas (CopperHouse, 2013); Jesse's Surprise Gift (CopperHouse, 2012); and Is That Story True? (CopperHouse, 2010).

Reviews

[Hanna Schock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful book encourages meaning-making! Detailed connections to home spaces invite 2 imaginative visions. Who might have been here? AND What promising possibilities are ahead? This wise child invites all to gaze gratefully and engage in mindful caretaking. She may be small, but her vision and agency are expansive! Enjoy the details! Imagine yourself! And be a difference-maker in your home and the home we all share!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Mìcheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.