Fostering conversations about both mathematics and diversity, We Are All Under One Sky would make for a great read-aloud. This is a counting book consisting of a poem that counts up to ten, and back down again – reminding young readers of the one wide sky we are all under throughout. We Are All Under One Wide Sky by Deborah Wiles is a beautiful picture book celebrating the diversity of the world we all live in. When you visit their bio at you’ll find links for a charming poster and a storytime kit packed with great activities to do with your kids this summer. Many thanks to the publisher for sharing this delightful story with me. This is a story you’ll want to add to your family library, and I promise you’ll have lots of requests for repeat reads. I especially loved one of the last pages with the words, “three kisses, soft and sweet” and the illustrations of three diverse families, including a single mom, two dads and a grandma all tucking their little ones in for the night. The gentle, appealing illustrations bring the words to life and enable us to see and feel the joy on every page. As we count down, there are stops in France, India, Afghanistan, the Netherlands and familiar backyards, but in every locale the children are playing familiar games, simply having fun and appreciating nature. Kids of every nationality, every color and every ability lead us on a round the world tour, beginning with a yummy picnic under “one wide sky”. This is a counting book, but it’s so much more. 3 stars.ĭisclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through in exchange for an honest review. I would purchase it for my library because of the diverse illustrations and it is a decent counting book, but I won't be using it in story time because there's no real story. Overall, a solid, but not outstanding, read. Although the page for number 10 is a little confusing because it says 'Ten whirligigs spinning around' and 8 of the whirligigs have spinners (like pinwheels or windmills) on them so it took a while to figure out that the whirligigs were not the spinners, but the whole contraption. It's a counting book whose text goes from 1 to 5 then breaks to repeat the refrain that we're 'all under one wide sky' then goes up to 10, breaks for the refrain, back down to 5, breaks for the refrain, then down to end with 'one wide sky.' The illustrations are beautiful. This picture book is pretty and has a nice message, but there's no story line or plot.

Anthem by deborah wiles