"Join celebrated artist Julie Flett on a joyful romp with animals. From chasing, chirping birds, to swimming, squirting whales, this book for young readers reminds them how animals play just like them. This picture book, with gorgeous images and sweet simple text, is a marvelous celebration of the interconnectedness of all creatures, and includes some Cree phrases. It is based on the Cree teaching of wahkohtowin, interconnectedness and play, and includes as well the English and Cree names of the animals in the book, all of whom are from 'Turtle Island' (North America)."-- - (Baker & Taylor)
A BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York Times, Washington Post, New York Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, Globe and Mail, Horn Book, and Boston Globe
STARRED Reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, The Horn Book, School Library Journal
A 2022 Best Book for Babies
From Julie Flett, the beloved author and illustrator of Birdsong, comes a joyous new book about playtime for babies, toddlers, and kids up to age 7.
Animals and kids love to play! This wonderful book celebrates playtime and the connection between children and the natural world. Beautiful illustrations show:
- birds who chase and chirp!
- bears who wiggle and wobble!
- whales who swim and squirt!
- owls who peek and peep!
- and a diverse group of kids who love to do the same, shouting:
We play too! / kimêtawânaw mînaAt the end of the book, animals and children gently fall asleep after a fun day of playing outside, making this book a great bedtime story.
A beautiful ode to the animals and humans we share our world with, We All Play belongs on every bookshelf.This book also includes:
- A glossary of Cree words for wild animals in the book
- A pronunciation guide and link to audio pronunciation recordings
- (
Perseus Publishing)
Kirkus Reviews
Everyone loves to play! Award-winning author/illustrator Flett shares the joyful antics of young animals as they romp in much the same way as human children. The rhythmic text offers both rich vocabulary and a page-turning chant. Woodland animals "hide and hop / and sniff and sneak" while Indigenous children, depicted in differing shades of brown, run, skip, jump, and hunt for butterflies. "We play too! kimêtawânaw mîna," they proclaim in the refrain. Aquatic animals "swim and squirt / and bubble and bend" while children swim under the water and float on its surface, in inner tubes. On the prairie, snakes "slip and slide" through the grass while buffalo "rumble and roll." And bears "wiggle and wobble" as both they and children play (in separate double-page spreads) in the snow. At last, "side by side, animals fall asleep," and after a day full of fun, "we do too. nîstanân mîna." The animals are not named within the primary text, leaving it to readers to identify the hopping bunnies, the spouting beluga whale calves, and the yawning wolf pups. Flett's characteristically minimalist compositions are deceptively simple. Readers who slow down to look will be charmed by the cricket that hops in tandem with a rabbit and the fox that stares in bemusement at a turtle. This celebration of nature is sprinkled with words from the Cree language, and a closing glossary provides both Cree and English names of the animals depicted; a note provides guidance on Cree pronunciation for readers not familiar with the language. Simple text and bold, graphic illustrations celebrate our interconnection with the creatures who share our world. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
