If You Come to Earth

Starred review from July 13, 2020
Meeting children from around the world gave Caldecott Medalist Blackall (Hello Lighthouse) a vision of a book “that would bring us together,” she explains in an author’s note. This exquisite catalogue of human experience is the result. A child with an elfin red cap, white skin, and black hair frames the story, addressing a “Visitor from Outer Space.” Magnificent spreads journey through the solar system and descend toward the Earth’s surface, zeroing in on a quilted landscape. Fragmentary, often droll descriptions of Earth-side existence follow, about bodies and aging, home and travel, eating and drinking (“Some of us have more food than others”), and relationships (“Sometimes we hurt each other. It’s better when we help each other”). Wide-eyed human characters of varying shapes, ethnicities, and abilities show kind regard for each other: a librarian offers a tissue to a man overcome, dinner table companions share animated conversation. Even for the accomplished Blackall, the artwork is dazzling. Encyclopedic paintings of the natural world—birds, sea life, an acorn, and more—are rendered in painstaking detail and brilliant colors. It is a book that can be shared with strangers, visitors, friends old and new—a work in which differences build to reveal an inclusive human family on a single, precious planet. Ages 5–8.

July 15, 2020
To take care of one another and the Earth, we must truly see one another as unique and valued. A young child with light beige skin, wispy brown hair, and a gnomish red cap writes an invitation: "Dear Visitor from Outer Space, / If you come to Earth, / here's what you need to know." What follows is a child's introduction to this complex planet that begins in the child's room, spins out to outer space, then back to Earth and its geography and topography, then to the people who inhabit this planet--where they live, how they live, and what they do. Along the way, outer-space visitors (and readers) learn about families, careers, clothing, transportation, fauna, even the American Sign Language and Braille alphabets. Throughout, diverse people are distinctively, carefully portrayed, emphasizing representation and visibility. In a library scene, the narrator says, "It's better when we help each other"--an urgent response to a portrayal of war on the preceding spread. Two-time Caldecott Medalist Blackall balances eye-catching double-page spreads with white space, even focusing on a single powerful image--for instance, one giant bird formed from dozens of small birds fit together. Ribbons appear throughout the book, as winding blue rivers and spools of illustrated paper covered with the narrator's extraterrestrial drawings. Each rich illustration invites return visits to investigate all the small, and big, details it contains. An author's note explains the global origin of this offering. An introduction to Earth for children big and small who live in this galaxy, or beyond. (Picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from July 1, 2020
Preschool-G *Starred Review* The cover establishes the concept with a young boy looking up from Earth, drawing on a long roll of paper that spirals into the sky. His message is being received by a spaceship, hovering close to the sun. As he adds narrative to his pictures, he sends an invitation: Dear Visitor from Outer Space, / If you come to Earth, / here's what you need to know. Hand-lettering furthers the feeling that the boy is writing the words himself. With ink-and-watercolor art that is vivid, delicate, and precise, Blackall composes intricate spreads that express the vast diversity of the planet, ranging from wider scopes?the solar system, land, and sea?to closer up?homes, transportation, families, bodies, food, and animals. The boy describes people communicating with words, sign language, Braille, art, and music. The sense is that if you are on Earth, you belong, though the boy also acknowledges that bad things happen here. Some don't have enough to eat; lose homes to fire, flood, or war; get sick or have accidents. Nonetheless, he thinks visitors would find his world beautiful. As a two-time Caldecott winner, Blackall is deservedly celebrated, and here she pairs her accomplished artwork with a story children will want to read and a message that resonates. This is one to take your time with, savor, and share with others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from December 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-If visitors came to Earth, what would they need to know? A young boy, Quinn, writes a letter to potential visitors in Blackall's stunning new book. Her signature Chinese ink and watercolor illustrations will draw children in for repeat readings to pore over each detail, such as the portraits of people from diverse backgrounds, from a construction worker and a firefighter to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Images such as a two-page spread of different types of birds arranged in the shape of a bird invite dialogue from prereaders, expanding their background knowledge about animals, transportation, or kinds of houses. Each page is well researched and inclusive, as Blackall depicts the many different people who live in the world. The inclusivity of various abilities is especially notable, including the American Sign Language alphabet, images of Braille, different types of families, and people using wheelchairs. The author's note tells how she came to know the real Quinn, an Australian boy with dark hair and light skin. VERDICT With its gorgeous and intricate illustrations, this is perfect for sharing one on one, and is recommended for most collections.-Jessica Ko, Los Angeles P.L.

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