American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor - American Indian Library Association
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)
This gorgeous picture book--winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and American Indian Youth Literature Award Picture Book Honor--celebrates the circles that surround us, in the sky, the earth, our neighborhoods, ourselves ... if we just dare to look for them.
Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. "Can you see" That's only half the circle. The rest of it is down below, in the earth." He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return to. They share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.
This award-winning, mind-bending, heart-opening book marked the impressive debut of Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia as picture book creators.
- (
Lee & Low Books)
This gorgeous picture book--winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and American Indian Youth Literature Award Picture Book Honor--celebrates the circles that surround us, in the sky, the earth, our neighborhoods, ourselves ... if we just dare to look for them.
- (
Lee & Low Books)
"All Around Us begs to be shared over and over. The use of lines and strokes conveys energy, spirit, magic. And I love the way it connects us all to the idea that we come from inside, from the earth, from something gentle and primal, and that is where go back to—and we better take care of it."—Yuyi Morales
"A transcendent, perfectly gorgeous book, as magical as childhood feels in its best times. Rich, warm, comforting words and images to hold closely in your mind."—Naomi Shihab Nye
ALSC Notable Children’s Book
2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award: Picture Book Honor
Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. "Can you see? That's only half of the circle. That rest of it is down below, in the earth." He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return to. They share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.
This is a debut picture book for Xelena Gonzalez and Adriana Garcia.
- (
Lightning Source, Inc. Ebooks)
Circles are all around us. We just have to look for them. Sometimes they exist in the most unusual places.
"All Around Us begs to be shared over and over."—Yuyi Morales
"A transcendent, perfectly gorgeous book."&;Naomi Shihab Nye
ALSC Notable Children’s Book
2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book<>
2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award: Picture Book Honor
Best Picture Book, Texas Institute of Letters
2017 Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award
Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. "Can you see? That's only half of the circle. That rest of it is down below, in the earth." He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return to. They share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.
This is a debut picture book for Xelena Gonzalez and Adriana Garcia.
- (
Lightning Source, Inc. Ebooks)
All Around Us begs to be shared over and over. The use of lines and strokes conveys energy, spirit, magic. And I love the way it connects us all to the idea that we come from inside, from the earth, from something gentle and primal, and that is where go back to—and we better take care of it. Yuyi Morales
All Around Us is a quiet, beautiful story, and is highly recommended. De Colores
The author’s direct approach and light touch soften the otherwise weighty subject matter. ... Life-affirming in its quiet splendor. Kirkus Reviews
All Around Usis all about connections, graced by ethereal images—the perfect children’s book for this season of celebrating endings and new beginnings. Lone Star Literary Life
A girl and her grandfather contemplate circles, both physical and metaphorical, in this thought-provoking tale of family, community, and interconnection. Publishers Weekly
It’s gorgeous, quite frankly. Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal
"All Around Us begs to be shared over and over."—Yuyi Morales
"A transcendent, perfectly gorgeous book."&;Naomi Shihab Nye
ALSC Notable Children’s Book
2018 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book<>
2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award: Picture Book Honor
Best Picture Book, Texas Institute of Letters
2017 Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award
Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. "Can you see? That's only half of the circle. That rest of it is down below, in the earth." He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return to. They share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.
This is a debut picture book for Xelena Gonzalez and Adriana Garcia.
- (
Lightning Source, Inc. Ebooks)
Circles are all around us. We just have to look for them. Sometimes they exist in the most unusual places.
- (
Lightning Source, Inc. Ebooks)
Xelena González practices the healing arts through writing and movement. She is a storyteller, dancer, and visiting author who centers self-love in her multi-disciplinary workshops for all ages. Her award-winning picture books include All Around Us and Where Wonder Grows. A former librarian and enrolled member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, Xelena has become a sought-after speaker on topics such as radical self love, creative early literacy strategies, inhabiting story through music and movement, and reclaiming indigenous identity in Latinx communities. She still lives in San Antonio, where she grew up. Find out more at xelena.space.
Adriana M. Garcia is a visual artist, a muralist, and an illustrator. She is the recipient of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for Where Wonder Grows and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor for All Around Us, both picture books by Xelena González. Garcia has exhibited her artwork nationally and has presented at conferences, schools, and museums around the United States. She especially loves painting portraits of strong women to honor those who have come before and those who continue to lead by example. Garcia lives in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her online at adrianamjgarcia.com.
- (
Lee & Low Books)
Xelena González has roots in San Antonio, Texas, but has stretched her wings to fly all the way to Guangzhou, China, where she works as a librarian in an international school. She studied journalism at Northwestern University and library science at Texas Woman&;s University, but her true training as a storyteller has come from getting to know other living beings—including plants, animals, and people who happen to speak different languages or see the world in unusual ways. She tells these stories through picture books, essays, song, and dance. All Around Us is her first book.
Adriana M. Garcia creates as a way to document lives and to honor the human existence, aiming to extract the inherent liminality of a moment before action as a way to articulate our stories. She is proficient both in traditional painting as well as web-based new-media applications. For this particular project, Adriana and her collaborator have challenged each other to answer complex questions about culture, humanity, and unique worldviews in a way that is simple, universal, and appealing enough to reach the youngest members of our society. All Around Us is her first book illustration project.
- (
Lightning Source, Inc. Ebooks)
Booklist Reviews
A young girl with Native American and Spanish heritage learns from her grandfather that circles are all around us. The moon, clocks, wheels, and the sun are all common circles we see almost every day, though we may not notice them. Grandfather points out that a rainbow is only half a circle; the other half is under the surface, representing that what comes from the earth goes back into it again, creating a circle of life. The warm relationship the two share is evident as the girl happily absorbs the lessons, often spiritual in nature, that her grandpa teaches. Garcia's colorful mixed-media illustrations reveal images placed upon paintings with what appears to be chalk, pen and ink, and colored pencil. A circle motif, including the arcing of the text, highlights almost every spread, emphasizing the prevalence of the shape. Joyce Sidman's Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature (2011) can be used as a companion title that also teaches about the pervasiveness of common shapes in nature. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* This team's Pura Belpré Honor Book All Around Us (2017) gets a full Spanish translation—a natural choice that brings this work even closer to its true spirit. With melodic language, the meditative text immerses readers in a story about a young girl and her grandfather exploring their natural environment in search of the many circles that can be found within. Circles are used as a motif on all the pages, and even the typography is designed to curve throughout. Garcia's ethereal images will draw children in, with a color palette of celestial blues and earthy browns with hints of luminous yellows serving to emphasize the relationship between nature and people. The lovely illustrations and lyrical text combine to evoke peace, calm, and interconnectedness. This celebration of family, ties to the Earth, and the cycle of life is even more glorious in this translation. An intergenerational tale for all picture-book collections. Preschool-Grade 2. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
