This collection of poetry for children ages three to eight explores the spiritual practices of reverence, gratitude, and wonder. Each poem revels in the gift that Earth is to us in all its beauty, diversity, delight, and power to amaze.
The editors place the poems in five sections:
- Dreams and Prayers for My World
- Earth, Sea, and Sky
- All Creatures, Big and Small
- Seasons
- Caring for Our World
This flow allows readers to begin with their internal response to the world, span out through space and time to embrace its many natural treasures, and then turn to action, "to care for the gifts we're given," as Suzanne Wiggins Bunch writes in a poem called "It's Up to Us."
Some of the shorter poems are accompanied by quotes from well-known authors, environmentalists, and spiritual leaders, such as:
"Night comes to the desert all at once,
as if someone turned off the light."
— Joyce Carol Oates
"I have learned that you are never too small
to make a difference."
— Greta Thunberg
"The earth is what we all have in common."
— Wendell Berry
Beautiful art by Keum Jin Song frames each page, with occasional full-page paintings showing children celebrating Earth's bounty.
A couple of the poems were inspired by passages in the Old Testament book of Job, like "Singing Stars" by Keri Biron, which begins:
"In the majestic morning sky
a twinkling symphony
serenades the galaxies ..."
The overall tone is embracing in scope, though, accessible to people of any faith or no easily named faith.
We applaud the book's encouragement to families "to celebrate the miracle of our world," as the editors put it, and to knit together "humanity, the environment, and spirituality in an engaging way."
