Description
"A young girl wonders what life would be like if she lived somewhere else. What if she lived in a city with millions of people? What would it be like to be a refugee from a war-torn country? Is she meant to be in a different place? Or is she right where she's supposed to be? "--
ISBN
080285477X / 9780802854773
Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (2016), 32 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member SherylHendrix
This book, which is supposed to be geared toward the picture book crowd, is somewhat preachy, and uses words that aren't likely to be understood by small children. It starts out with a little child pictured on a rock outcropping in a large body of water with a tiny boat moored to the rock and asks,
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"I wonder why I am here, in this exact place." Little children don't use the word "exact". On the second page a close-up of the child is accompanied by "What if I were somewhere else - somewhere completely different from here?" The child then goes on to think about placed on the other side of the earth, a city with "millions" of people - children that age don't have a concept of "millions of people." And the photo accompanying it is of homeless people living under a bridge with the narrative that lots of children do that - live under a bridge or in the street alone. Then it goes on to talk about war and refugees who have to make their way "with thousands of others to an unfamiliar place?" Other topics - child labor, vast deserts, the arctic, deep forests, floods and earthquakes. This book is not a book I would choose to read to a child. Show Less
LibraryThing member julieandbeli
I found this book sparked many, many questions from my children, some that I liked and some that I didn't. Soft and dreamy illustrations help cushion the harsh impact of the reality some must cope with as the narrator journeys past young people who are homeless, fleeing war, working as child
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laborers, and surviving natural disasters. Touches of the fanciful and lovely—a secret forest, friendship with a ring-tailed lemur, stargazing—remind readers that even in a world of tremendous hardship there are moments of wonder. I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program. Show Less
LibraryThing member JanesList
I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program. This book has nicely done pencil illustrations that accompany a boy and his lemur as he ponders questions of existential angst. "Why am I here? What if I were somewhere else? What if it was hard, could I hack it?" (not a
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quote, but this is the gist of it. I could definitely see it as a conversation starter, but I wouldn't just hand it to any kid. I don't think they'd be interested if these weren't already questions they were asking themselves. Show Less
LibraryThing member readaholic12
The cover illustration of a small child with a lemur and the book title enticed me to request this selection from the early reviewer program. I was not prepared for the dark, monochrome tone of this apparent children's book, and found much of the art to be bleak, lonely and depressing, depicting
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themes of abandonment, isolation, disaster, pollution and war. Not at all what I was expecting, and certainly not a happy bedtime book to read with kids, unless an existential crisis is desired. I'm not sure who the target audience is for this book, but I know it is not me. Show Less
LibraryThing member eo206
This is a lovely book about a boy and a lemur asking questions about life. The illustrations are very well done, more adult tone than bright little kids bright colors. I try to expose the children in my life to different themes and pictures and this book will help to diversify away from the typical
This book is translated which also helps to expose children to new lines of thinking and thoughts. Exposing children to new vocabulary is a bonus in this book.
The copy I reviewed was hard cover, with good binding and would hold up to many readings. I appreciate when publishers send bound books for review (versus just loose pages) since reading is a tactile experience for young children and I like knowing how a book will hold up for children.
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Dora the Explorer, Disney, etc. themes and art work.This book is translated which also helps to expose children to new lines of thinking and thoughts. Exposing children to new vocabulary is a bonus in this book.
The copy I reviewed was hard cover, with good binding and would hold up to many readings. I appreciate when publishers send bound books for review (versus just loose pages) since reading is a tactile experience for young children and I like knowing how a book will hold up for children.
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LibraryThing member mitsya
I really wish I could say I loved this book as the premise was intriguing and the illustrations absolutely gorgeous, but I didn't. It seems to be packaged as a children's book, but I honestly can't suggest it as such. The vocabulary is well beyond the read aloud age and the concepts are hard to
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grasp for anyone under middle school/junior high (really advanced upper elementary, at the very least- I know that's when I started thinking these questions.) It feels like a picture book written for adults; as such, it's absolutely beautiful and an interesting philosophical exercise. Like I started, I wish I could say I loved this book, but I didn't. (Received & reviewed for the LT Early Reviewers program.) Show Less
LibraryThing member missbrandysue
Why Am I Here? was sent to me for free from Eerdmans Books for an early review. It's a simplistic text but asks deep-thinking questions about the meaning of our time here on Earth. I particularly like the references to refugees and child workers. The illustrations are really beautiful and create a
I see this book being used in my elementary classrooms to help groups discuss theme and author message. I think it opens a huge window for children to be able to talk about life, world issues, and more. Because I see it being used in schools with groups of children I like that there are no specific religious references. For personal use I would have appreciated it but I think that it's actually more marketable and appropriate because of it.
Some of the pages, like questioning living in the Arctic or the deep forests could have been edited out so that it stayed on a very realistic theme where each page tied to where actual children live and experiences they go through. Nor did I like the ending sentence that home is just where we are currently (I think that's a bit inappropriate for children) and I would have liked some reference to a family or at least a mother but that's just for ease with children.
Overall, I'm really glad I got a copy of the book. I can see it being used in my upper elementary classrooms and I look forward to sharing it with students so we can discuss the issues that are sadly captivating our media these days!
Thank you, Eerdmans Books!
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deeper meaning in my opinion. I see this book being used in my elementary classrooms to help groups discuss theme and author message. I think it opens a huge window for children to be able to talk about life, world issues, and more. Because I see it being used in schools with groups of children I like that there are no specific religious references. For personal use I would have appreciated it but I think that it's actually more marketable and appropriate because of it.
Some of the pages, like questioning living in the Arctic or the deep forests could have been edited out so that it stayed on a very realistic theme where each page tied to where actual children live and experiences they go through. Nor did I like the ending sentence that home is just where we are currently (I think that's a bit inappropriate for children) and I would have liked some reference to a family or at least a mother but that's just for ease with children.
Overall, I'm really glad I got a copy of the book. I can see it being used in my upper elementary classrooms and I look forward to sharing it with students so we can discuss the issues that are sadly captivating our media these days!
Thank you, Eerdmans Books!
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LibraryThing member mandy42990
What a unique book! Each page asks a question that puts the child or reader in another person's shoes, stretching their compassion for other cultures and hardships. The questions stoke thankfulness for the individuality of the life we each have been offered while also promoting curiosity about the
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beautiful world beyond what we know. Each question prompts discussion from the child, allowing multiple responses rather than telling an "answer". The crisp white pages accent this open-ended nature of the prompts, while the soft and colorful illustrations are a pleasure to view, being detailed enough to interest prolonged attention. I wish there were more books like this for young readers! Show Less
LibraryThing member frankiejones
Deep and thought provoking. As an adult, I greatly enjoyed this book, the older children I read it to had mixed feelings but overall it was well received. I would not recommend this book for very young children since it brings up ideas such as poverty and war that the very small don’t yet
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understand. Be prepared to answer questions that will go along with reading this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
The young narrator of this Norwegian picture-book wonders what his life would be like, if he lived somewhere else, questioning why he is where he is. Considering the possibilities - what would life be like if he lived alone in a great city, or somewhere he was forced to work (as so many children
Originally published in Norwegian as Hvorfor er jeg her?, this gently contemplative picture-book is the second I have read from author Constance Ørbeck-Nilssen and illustrator Akin Düzakin, following upon their I'm Right Here. Like that earlier book, Why Am I Here? is quite phiosophical, raising a number of questions that young people might have as they grow older about life, the world, and their place in it. Given the description of war-torn countries, and the depiction of people fleeing by land and by sea, it's difficult not to read this one as an exploration of the current migrant crisis in Europe, but although I do believe it is meant to address that issue, I think it also has wider implications, and can be used to launch a more general discussion of those existential questions that are (in the end) unanswerable. I appreciated this one, finding the narrative interesting and the artwork lovely, but it wasn't quite as poignant somehow, as this team's other book. Perhaps because the loss depicted there was personal and individual, rather than communal and hypothetical? Whatever the case may be, I would recommend this one to those seeking more philosophical picture-books about the world, our place in it, and our relationship to people from other places.
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are), or perhaps in a war-torn country? - he ponders whether it would be possible for him to move, to come to the country in which he currently resides...Originally published in Norwegian as Hvorfor er jeg her?, this gently contemplative picture-book is the second I have read from author Constance Ørbeck-Nilssen and illustrator Akin Düzakin, following upon their I'm Right Here. Like that earlier book, Why Am I Here? is quite phiosophical, raising a number of questions that young people might have as they grow older about life, the world, and their place in it. Given the description of war-torn countries, and the depiction of people fleeing by land and by sea, it's difficult not to read this one as an exploration of the current migrant crisis in Europe, but although I do believe it is meant to address that issue, I think it also has wider implications, and can be used to launch a more general discussion of those existential questions that are (in the end) unanswerable. I appreciated this one, finding the narrative interesting and the artwork lovely, but it wasn't quite as poignant somehow, as this team's other book. Perhaps because the loss depicted there was personal and individual, rather than communal and hypothetical? Whatever the case may be, I would recommend this one to those seeking more philosophical picture-books about the world, our place in it, and our relationship to people from other places.
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Awards
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
32 p.; 11.5 inches