To Every Thing There Is A Season

by Diane Dillon

In their fortieth picture book, two Caldecott Medalists bring to vivid life the most famous verses from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes through imaginative paintings reflecting the world's various cultures, accompanied by a full-color explanatory glossary.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Art, Poetry, Religion, Nonfiction, Cultural

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Diane Dillon is a celebrated American magazine and book-cover artist, and a children's book author and illustrator. The vast majority of her work was done collaboratively with her husband, Leo Dillon, with whom she won her many awards.

Born in Los Angeles in 1933, Diane Sorber was educated at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where she met Leo Dillon, who was initially a fierce artistic competitor. Their fifty-year collaboration, after their eventual marriage, resulted in over one hundred speculative fiction book and magazine covers, and numerous picture-book illustrations. They were jointly awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1976 and 1977, the only artists to be so honored twice in a row. The Dillons had one son, Lee Dillon, who also became an artist, and with whom they collaborated on Nancy Willard's Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch. Diane Dillon's first solo project, published after Leo's death in 2012, is the recent I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is truly one of the most beautiful children's books that I have ever read. The words are familiar but I really do appreciate the illustrations, from all corners of the world and history, that make these words come alive so vividly. I read it through a few times just to study the illustrations.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is such a beautiful and powerful book. Each page takes a line from Ecclesiastics 3:1-8 and illustrates it with a pair of scenes from a distinct culture:

Even though I taught world literature, I still had a hard time identifying each culture until I looked at the "cheater notes" in the appendix. They are as follows (I had to guess on the century for many of them--the descriptions in parentheses), and I am no art historian.

Ireland, (ancient) Egypt, (17th C?) Japan, pre-Conquest Mexico, Classical Greece, Mughal Dynasty India, Middle Ages Europe, Kuana Pueblo NA of the 14th C. CE, late 17th C. CE Ethiopia, (17th C?) Thailand, (12th C?) China, (16th C?) Russia, pre-colonial Aboriginal Australia, pre-colonial Inuit, and 16th C. Iran.

I have owned this book for a decade or more, but I find it oddly comforting to reread during the pandemic.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book illustrates the verses Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and 1:4, which describes how there is a time for everything.

Leo and Diane Dillon’s artwork depicts different civilizations, cultures, and eras. More information about the illustrations is provided at the back of the book.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1:4 King James Version (KJV):
3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the whole time I was reading this I was singing the song Turn, Turn, Turn by The Byrds. I’m no more fond of killing, war, hating, losing after reading this book/poem. The “to kill” here was a poor choice of illustration I though, but the rest were okay enough depictions. Peace was my favorite page.

The illustrations themselves are very interesting. What I like best about them is that the people on the various pages represent different cultures and times, and highlight the universality of this famous poem that comes out of both Jewish and Christian religious texts.

At the end of the book there’s a really helpful and fascinating “About the Illustrations” section that shows each picture in miniature and tells the country, some art and cultural history, and artist method for each one.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book quotes from one of my favorite biblical passages (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). With each section the author and illustrator use a different art style, drawing from cultures and histories all over the world. It's an awesome book - loved it!

Excellent illustrations - so neat to see so many different styles in one book.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover does not do the book justice. Each spread is an homage to a different historical art style.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea. And the cover was wonderful. But the book itself was just meh. Was it interesting? sure. But was it my idea of either a children's book or an art book? no.

[Shadow the Hedgehog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and heartfelt book. It is not quite a word-for-word translation of the famous verses: the language in this book has been modified a bit for young children. If you are Jewish, you might enjoy reading this to your kids during the holidays of Sukkot or Shemini Atzeret. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "contemplative."

What I liked
themes
Powerful themes of love and loss, life and death are illustrated with vibrant art. Ultimately, what I felt the primary theme of the book was "Regardless of our background, we all have things in common." It is not meant to be about evangelism or spreading the word of God. To me, it is not even necessarily about a particular religion. It's about the universality of the human experience.

I find this book and the art to be healing. It's nice to read it during times of sadness as a reminder that everything has a season.

art
This would not be the same experience if it had different art. Each line of the poem is illustrated in a style representative of a different culture or place. None of the art in this book is a direct rip off of any particular painting, as some reviewers seem to believe. Here are the cultures/regions which provide inspiration:

- Ireland
- Egypt (New Kingdom)
- Japan
- Mexico
- Greece
- India
- Europe (Germany)
- North America
- Ethiopia
- Thailand
- China
- Russia
- Australia
- Far North (Siberia and Greenland)
- Iran

Each piece is created by hand. There are paintings on silk; ink and watercolor paintings; and illustrations done in acrylic or gouache. Each is detailed, respectful, and full of life.

appendix
The appendix gives more insight into the art. Some of the styles I did not recognize, and in other cases I couldn't tell for sure what was going on in the painting.

Conclusion
The themes in this book are universal and God is not mentioned. Nonetheless - since it is lifted from the Book of Ecclesiastes - I suspect that this book will appeal primarily to a religious audience. I recommend it to parents with young children, art lovers, and those who enjoy poetry.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

The words are based on the third chapter of Ecclesiastes from the Bible. While I was reading it I had The Byrds playing in the back of my mind. The illustrations are well done and show different cultures from around the world. One of my favorite illustrations was at the start with the art based off seventh to eighth century AD Ireland with the four trees in the circle depicting the different seasons. I liked reading it, however, it was more enjoyable with the instrumental version of the song playing. This wouldn't work when using the book in a classroom setting as the lyrics of the song and the words in the poem do not match exactly. The book could be used to introduce different cultures in the world to different fourth or fifth graders as it has a synopsis of the different cultures and regions that are depicted.

[Tammy Manns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Picture Book/Poetry
Grade Level: Middle Grades (4-6)
Awards: Leo & Diane Dillon have won several awards for their illustrations including the Caldecott Award in 1976 and 1977.

This is a book written based on the 3rd Chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, there is a time for everything under the Sun. The pictures are breathtaking and represent many different cultures. There is an explanation of each picture in the back of the book. The picture information can be a source of historical information as it gives a brief synopsis of the culture/region it depicts; Ireland, Egypt, Japan, Mexico just to name a few.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could this be the most often quoted set of verses from the Bible?

Find them in this beautifully illustrated book by Leo and Diane Dillon.

For sure, these are the most famous verses from the book of Ecclesiastes .

An example goes onto these two facing pages:

Time to keep silence,
and a time to speak.

Philosophically speaking, time is such an unfathomable concept. Yet the idea of ON or OFF can be as simple as using a toggle light switch on the wall.

FIVE STARS

And yes, let's hope that -- as stated in this part of the Old Testament -- "the Earth abides for ever."

[Ellie Vasas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the different cultures that they included in this book. It is how life is represented throughout all of history from all different people. The art work is super cool because with each different time period, the art style is based on that time period. I think it does a good job at simply explaining some of the most important concepts of being a human being. I like the short phrases that they use and the repetition of "A time"". It is based on a poem. It has some harder words like Rend and Mourn. It addresses some very deep topics like kill and hate.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys loved the artwork in this book and wished we'd had more time to look at it. I liked the Bible verse since it was fresh in my mind from a sermon at church. There's also some detail in the back of the book about the artwork.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the preface that this was based off of Ecclesiates, I fully anticipated that I would not enjoy this book. I was wrong. I loved it! It goes through many of the scriptures with artwork from cultures around the world. LOVED IT!

[Nichole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm... ok, so the art is really cool. But it's also what concerns me. Using a Bible verse and then using all the cultures of the world, especially a lot of cultures that were colonized and persecuted by Christians seems.... not good.

[Ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the illustrations in this book, and I thought that it conveys every emotion of sense that we go through during our life here on Earth. I loved the last quote on the last page of this book.

[Bill Hice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great artwork.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such. Cool. Illustrations.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this book because it was so boring, a pop-up would have made it more exciting.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing art. I love how many cultures were represented, and a section at the end explains where and when each style came from.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gloriously, richly illustrated picture book adaptation of the famous verses from Ecclesiastes.

[Andréa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew the Dillons were talented, but this showcases their abilities on a new level.

[Regine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book appears to be admirably intentioned, with a wide range of ancient painting styles to express many of the cultures “under heaven.” But the adaptations in some of the pastiches are dissonant to me, leaving a feeling of uneasiness, rather than peace.

[Geo Hendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful Pictures.
Beautiful Quote.
Good Read

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and beautiful words, but it was a little confusing to me why the illustrator would draw gods that are not the God of the Bible, even though the words are all from the Bible.

[Shannon]

So much cultural appropriation! Most of the images were from other cultures that certainly were not Christian. You can't just take their artwork and slap a Bible verse on it to make it look like Christianity permeates all cultures throughout all time periods. I found it particularly ironic that the author decided to use an image that depicts an Aztec sacrificial killing for the "A time to kill" verse, when they were sacrificing to a pantheon of gods that Spanish explorers would later slaughter them for worshiping.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, drawing on historical art styles from all over the world to convey the words of Ecclesiastes. I love this book, and have given it multiple times as a wedding or baby shower gift.

[Samantha Heare · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this wonderfully illustrated picture book, one is taken on a visual journey through the cultures of the world to the words of the King James Version of the Bible – the Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapters III, verses 1-8 followed by Chapter I, verse 4. The wonderful pictures encompass the words and illustrate cultures of old and today from around the word. It is a simple, yet wondrous picture book that truly exhibits that there is a time for everything. It includes a wonderful explanation of the illustration used, explaining from what culture and time period they represent. The cultures include, Irish, Egyptian, Japanese, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Middle Ages European, Native American, Ethiopian, Thai, Chinese, Russian, Australian, The Far North, and Middle Eastern. This illustrated book could easily be used for older students to get them thinking about the meaning of the verse, but it could just as easily be used with early readers for the repetition of various words. Younger readers may not be able to understand the complexities of the meaning behind the pictures, but they will still enjoy the book.

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Mommy's review from 5/2/12)

This is going to sound bad, I'm well aware, but isn't this book - and others like it - just a rip-off? Or are the pretty pictures enough to make it it's own? For me it's a rip-off. If I wanted to read these words I'd find them where most know them to be. The Beatles song. Duh.
I don't get the whole 'rewrite it with a tiny, little, unique spin' and I'm a genius bit.
Call me pessimistic. (I'm sure a few hardcore lovers of this book will call me far worse.)
:)
So.. Julia said it was "nice". That one little word, coming from my 6-year-old daughter, says much. Believe me.
I don't think it's nice. I think it's just nothing.
I'm rating it two stars because it's a book, it has pages and there are a few words on each page. That's more than a lot of books have these days so it must be worth something.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book illustrates Ecclesiastes 3: 1 -8, where Solomon writes about how there is "a time to be born and a time to die." The images used are patterned after drawing from various eras, such as ancient hieroglyphics and the Middle Ages, and all from around the world. It's certainly unique but I don't know that it would hold children's attention.

Ages: 6 - 9

Cleanliness: one picture shows a man about to be stabbed. The man is wearing a loincloth.

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