book cover

Here We Are

by Oliver Jeffers

Interest age: 4 to 6
Reading age: 5+

Published by HarperCollins, 2017

  • Picture books

About this book

Earth is the place where we live: it's full of wonderful creatures, depths and heights. Then there are people, who have bodies, which are pretty amazing things. People act, look and sound different. There are lots of different animals, too, and there's still so much to do. The most important thing is to be kind, and know that there's enough for everyone: on Earth, you can never be alone.

Written as a manual to life on Earth from new dad Oliver Jeffers to his baby son, this simple, life-affirming picture book is both an overview of Earth and a guide to living well: concepts of kindness, tolerance and environmental responsibility flow seamlessly into the sparse but perfectly judged text.

As you'd expect from Oliver Jeffers, the illustrations are detailed, original and inventive, showcasing the beautiful diversity of Earth, but also curating a mood of safety, curiosity and wonder.

The final page brings the scale of our lives in the huge universe back to the immediacy of a dad holding his baby. It's a perfect end to a perfect book, reminding us that the most important thing for children to know about life on Earth is that they are loved.

About the author

As a picture book creator Oliver Jeffers has been the recipient of some of children's books highest accolades, including the Nestle Gold Medal for Lost and Found and the Irish Picture Book of the Year for The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Other award-winning titles include The Way Back Home, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal. An animated film of Oliver's book Lost and Found won a BAFTA for Best Animation in 2009. Oliver was born in Belfast but now lives in New York City.

More books like this

Lists of recommended reads

Share this page Twitter Facebook LinkedIn