Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
HarperCollins, 2018 ISBN: 978-0062697349
In the days before there was email and smartphones, people often used to write letters when they wanted to convey their love and affection for someone. Sometimes the authors of these letters wrote poems, and sometimes they wrote prose.
April Pulley Sayre is a photographer and writer who loves the remarkable planet that we live on. Through the lens of her camera she sees so many of Mother Earth’s treasures and her natural places, many of which delight us with their beauty. Inspired by what she has seen over the years she has written this letter to Earth. It is a thank you letter that is full of affection and reverence.
Written in verse that flows from picture to picture and from page to page like stream water rippling over a stone, this ode to our home planet is a joy to the eye and the ear. The author thanks Earth for water “and those that float,” and for the “minerals that strengthen bills and bone.” She thanks the Earth for the tiniest little beetle and the tall and “towering” trees. She thanks the Earth for “those that crawl,” even the ones “that sting.” From the big to the small, from the grand to the humble, from the “beginnings” and “endings,” she offers up her thanks with her photos, her words, and her heart.
In a note at the back of the book the author talks about how this book is a thank you note. She also talks about why it is necessary to remember to thank our home planet on a regular basis through both words and actions. There is so much we can all do to show our gratitude and love for our home.
