Once Upon Another Time

Luminous, peaceful illustrations depicting an era before builidings, cars, and modern technology contrast sharply with those depciting our busy, cramped, and almost too-loud present day. The rhyming text perfectly complements the art, encouraging readers to disconnect from the everyday devices that consume our days and explore this other time by stepping out into the nature that is all around us. A necessary addition to picutre-book collections.

K-Gr 2--The authors use playful rhyme and sweeping landscapes to remind readers about a time "before one human step" was taken. Each outdoor scene depicts the best of each season. Landazábal's artwork teems with abundant wildlife, pristine bodies of water, and clear skies. These "another time" pictures are contrasted with views of a modern city and the airport and towers that surround it. Skyscrapers and busy roads replace any kind of greenery in the city center. Halfway through the book, an illustration with dinosaur fossils shows the two time periods coexisting, and then segues into ways children can experience the richness of these earlier times. The suggestions (e.g., to breathe in the same air the dinosaurs breathed, to play in puddles, to put down screens and look up at the clouds) are active, mindful, and free activities that focus on difference senses. They include activities that can be done alone or with family and friends. VERDICT For Earth Day shelves, but all year around. It's a near-perfect way to remind children of all their planet has to offer.--Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake P.L., Alta.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

In upbeat rhyming couplets, Esenwine and Ghigna paint a portrait of the world pre-Anthropocene, offering descriptions of natural landscapes ("The land was fresh, the air was clean, / the valleys lush with shades of green") before comparing the contemporary world ("There were no drones or airplanes/ flying past a smoggy sun./ There were no phones or internet--/ the webs were spider-spun"). The book then transitions to the present, offering meditative sensory details and urging readers to center themselves in the natural world: "Leave behind the phones and screens, / and take a step outdoors./ Breathe in air that once was shared/ by monstrous dinosaurs!" Landazábal adds landscapes in a dreamy, sponge-textured style that combines modern and retro influences. Though the authors' argument feels a bit oversimplified, this is an evocative encouragement to experience the glory of nature. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.