Inspireret af sin nyfødte datter og med samme stemning som den internationale succes Her er vi har mesteren Oliver Jeffers skabt en varm far-og-datter billedbog, som er perfekt som dåbsgave.
Oliver Jeffers' work takes many forms. His distinctive paintings have been exhibited in galleries worldwide, and HarperCollins UK and Penguin USA publish his award-winning picture books, now translated into over 30 languages.
In 2007, Jeffers was the official illustrator for World Book Day, and in 2008 Lost and Found became Oliver's first book to made into animation by London-based Studio AKA.
Jeffers won a NY Emmy in 2010 for his collaborative work with the artist and director Mac Premo, and in 2013 Jeffers co-directed the video for U2's Ordinary Love with Premo. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Jeffers now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Lots of readers have really enjoyed this one. It seemed to me that this book was written for the parent rather than the child. I found it too shmaltzy, this tries to encompass everything in the universe in one small story that is saying a parent wants to do the best for their child.
Just when you think Oliver Jeffers' work can't get any better, he releases yet another stunner. Every bit as wonderful as his other books 'What We'll Build' is the story of parenthood; the hopes and dreams we have for our children's futures, the protection we give them and the sharing of ever-lasting love.
Jeffers wrote this book for his daughter Mari and it is the story of a father and daughter exploring the endless possibilities and adventures that they can enjoy as they build their lives together.
The story begins with the father and daughter building a door, symbolic of the many doors we can open for our children as parents and educators. Open doors stand for opportunity, hope and positivity which are recurrent themes in the book.
The father-daughter duo build their home, the only material thing they construct, and then they invest their time in the importance of building love, hope, resilience, forgiveness and warmth. The tools are laid out at the very beginning, a selection of hammers, saws, drills (and a tiny pink pig!) from a shiny, red toolbox but we come to realise that the real 'tools' we need as parents when building our futures together are trust, comfort, compassion, unconditional love. The toolbox appears throughout the book as if to remind us that we carry these tools around with us on our parenting journey.
The striking illustrations in Jeffers' instantly-recognisable signature style are simply delightful and so detailed that each time of reading you will notice something new. Young children will enjoy spotting the little pink pig throughout the story and the penguin, a well-loved recurring character in Jeffers' books makes an appearance.
The image of the daughter's tiny hands alongside her father's on the very first page caused me to reflect on how much my own children (5 and 7 years) have grown already and the importance of enjoying every minute I have with them. The final image of the father's hands holding those teeny-tiny hands in his gave me a lump in my throat - as parents, we really do hold our children's futures in the palm of our hands and sometimes it feels such an over-whelming responsibility crafting, shaping and assembling their dreams so that they can live their best possible life. It is also a reminder that our children shape our lives for the better and our hopes, aspirations and interests are intertwined.
In the classroom, 'What We'll Build' is a great starting point for Primary-age children to articulate their hopes and aspirations for the future and the 'tools' they might need to achieve them. This is the perfect accompaniment to 'Here We Are: plans for Our Together Future' that many schools, including my own are using as a whole school text this September. Once again, Oliver Jeffers has created a book that can be appreciated on many different levels, again making it versatile enough to be enjoyed across school.
'What We'll Build' is a timeless classic in the making for every parent and educator building a future for the children in their care.
With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for providing me with a digital copy of the book to review in advance of publication.
Si no se te ha cruzado por la cabeza ser madre o padre, este libro no es para ti, porque quizás cambies de parecer. Una pregunta simple que realiza el autor a su hija una vez que nace: ¿Qué construiremos juntos? Y comenzamos la aventura de llevar nuestro amor a límites que no conocíamos. Lo leí al final con los ojos llorosos al saber de ese amor posible por construir un futuro lo mejor posible, no por ti ni por mí, sino por quienes vienen detrás nuestro. Hermoso libro para conocer la literatura infantil.
I'm not sure why this didn't resonate with me. I loved Here We Are so much, I've purchased a copy for every single friend who showed up pregnant in the past year and a half. What We'll Build...fell flat. I wasn't awe-inspired by the art or the words. It was just...fine. I hope it means the world to some people and resonates with them! If it doesn't, though, check out Here We Are as an alternative.
شما وقتی میتوانید آزادانه برای آینده رویا پردازی و برنامهریزی کنید که لازم نباشد برای جان سالم به در بردن از وضعیت موجود مبارزه کنید. :) چه مناسب روزی خوندم این کتاب رو:))
When you’re someone who loves books, there is a tendency to pass on your love for reading and making more people read. In a world dominated by technology, take my word when I say that young children feel delighted to read something as physical and personal as a book, and reading Children’s books with your kids, or nephews and nieces is enjoyable for them as well as for you. What we build is the story of a father and a daughter and how they want to build a home for themselves and more. It is about the love between a parent and their child and the endless possibilities and opportunities of life. For an adult, this book is a mere 10-minute read full of optimism and almost unrealistic. From the eyes of a six-year-old, it turned out to be something she enjoyed for over an hour, going through every detail of illustrations, and the next day she picked it up again. One thing that stood out as a hindrance for the book is that the language was a little tough for the kid, she was unable to understand some words. Hence, the need of an older person to sit with and read. On a personal bias, I really like children’s books! I read a lot of them as a child and its amazing to see the difference! Now the books are so inclusive of everything! Such as in this one, it talks about life other than the ones on earth.
Celebrated picture-book creator Oliver Jeffers returns to the form in this newest title, which offers a celebration of the father-daughter bond, and a hopeful vision of what that bond might produce, in the years to come. Together, the pair build a home for themselves, and together, they contend with any number of potential situations, from conflict with neighbors to travels to other locales...
Pairing a simple text in rhyme with gorgeously colorful artwork, What We'll Build: Plans for Our Together Future is clearly a follow-up to Jeffers' earlier Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, published in 2017 as a love letter to the planet, and to his newborn son. Here we see that the inspiration is his daughter, Mari, and that the focus is on the future, rather than on the world as it is. Having absolutely loved that earlier book, I had high hopes for this one, and for the most part, I was not disappointed. While the rhyming text sometimes felt just a tad awkward (something I did not notice in the earlier book), I appreciated its message of hope and determination, when facing the world to come. The artwork, on the other hand, left absolutely nothing to be desire, and was simply beautiful. The vivid color palette, the stylized forms, the overall composition - it all worked splendidly. My favorite scenes were undoubtedly the ones featuring the witchy neighbor - witchy picture-books being a pet project of mine - and the ones with the beautiful red fox (another pet project). Recommended to Oliver Jeffers fans, and to picture-book readers looking for hopeful stories about the future, and all it holds.
Father and daughter love... and a life built together. Yes there’s a lump in my throat.
I read Here We Are years, a letter from a parent to his child. Another of Jeffers’ heartfelt picture books (he does regularly manage to elicit tears) and stir emotions. And so elegantly as well. Without effort it seems.
Here we have a narrative that to me reads as a widowed father building a new life with his young daughter. There’s a wedding ring but no mother/wife. Dad and his daughter make their own home, they keep out and then let in their enemies, go on trips, collect treasured things.
In rhymes, Jeffers also shows us the family they create together, a dad and girl curled up at night by a fire, a pair using their imaginations to ‘play’ games where they visit the moon.
It’s as much about what you read into it as what Jeffers tells us. So adults and small children alike will be able to connect with the words and the characters.
We’ve always enjoyed Jeffers, from Lost and Found to Stuck, He’s a modern classic and each book is a small masterpiece of word and image combined. And there’s a cute pig too.
For ages 3 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
این یه ادامهٔ غیررسمی هست برای کتاب Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth.
کتاب بسیار صادقانه و به دور از شکرکزدگی درباره تلخی و شیرینی زندگی هست که از زبان پدر برای دخترش نقل میشه. استفاده جفرز از فضاهای خالی اینجا خیلی بیشتر از کتاب Here We Are هست و وای مقایسه اول و آخر کتاب باز هم استاد بودن جفرز رُ نشون میده: من و تو در اول داستان جدا ��ز هم ولی بعد از ساختن جایی برای دوست داشتن و درک زشتی ها و زیبایی های زندگی من و تو در کنار هم و لیترالی دست در دست هم هستن. یه چیز باحال وجود یه مینی گیم در کتابه که بچه ها میتونن دنبال پیدا کردن خوک کوچولویی باشن که توی تصاویر پنهان شده. عنصر تکرار شونده، دوگانگی هست. جفرز تاکید داره این دوگانگی حاصل بزرگشدنش در ایرلند شمالی هست.
O que vamos construir, tu e eu? Uma casa para vivermos. O futuro um do outro. Uma estrada para ir à lua e voltar. E amor de sobra, que guardaremos... O mais recente livro de Oliver Jeffers tem uma mensagem poderosa sobre o poder do amor, da partilha, da esperança e da imaginação em tempos adversos.
ISBN: 978-989-8868-86-2
CDU: 087.5-053.5 821.111(417)-34
Livro recomendado PNL2027 - Literatura - dos 3-5 anos - dos 6-8 anos - dos 9-11 anos - Inicial - Mediana
Oliver Jeffers continues to provide picture books that are absolutely beautiful in terms of their art and the story that is shared. I love the simple art work and text that accompanies and consider this to be, yet again, an important addition to any school library - as all his picture books are!
I don't know how I feel about this. It's so seductive. But - hmmm.
Before I became a parent, I didn't - obviously? - traffic in any of the Parenting Industrial Complex and various parenting subcultures. I had zero knowledge of "attachment parenting", zero opinion on "parenting philosophies", and basically zero experience in any of this stuff. Family- and child-centric entertainment and culture had mostly eluded me for the ~20 years between me being a teenager (and rejecting "kid stuff") and me actually having a kid.
Now that I am swimming in kid culture all day, every day, I have been slowly forming opinions - as and when my limited remaining cognitive energy allows. One of these slowly-forming opinions is on children's books. I've noticed something. There are several "types" of children's books:
- Problematic classics: All that mostly Medieval, pre-20th century stuff where children are eaten by witches or ogres if they disobey their parents, or otherwise mutilated (fingers cut off, turned into mince pies, etc), or terribly sexist stuff where women are almost always damsels in distress/princesses in towers waiting on some plastic Ken doll. Colorful, fun, something we choose to basically never expose to our kid except via movie time (i.e. old Disney). - Non-problematic classics that stand the test of time: Dr. Seuss. Maurice Sendak. - Modern hits from the recent, post-my-own-childhood past: Strega Nona. The Day the Crayons Quit. Press Here. Stuff like that - stuff that's enjoyable to both the parents and the kids. - Gooey spiritual books with a hipster aesthetic: THIS ONE! - Gag baby registry books: Rocket Science for Babies - a waste of resources! - Agenda books: Anti-Racist Baby, Feminist Baby. I gave my kids Buddhist baby books and I already feel embarrassed/silly about it. Like I'm taking advantage of their age and impressionability to start a brainwashing campaign. Anyway, these are the books that have Important Values that the parents are anxious to impart on their kids, but that are probably just waaay over the kids' heads and I almost feel bad dragging them into the shitty parts of society (prejudice, etc), especially when it's clumsily written. Don't get me started on the anti-racist baby book: "point to policies, not people" - right. I'll tell that to my toddler. :|
ANYWAY. So this book is a gooey spiritual feel-good-about-parenting book that is gorgeous - GWAGEOUS - and my kid found almost entirely boring. I guess, in my head, I thought we'd read this and my kid would go, "oh wow the magic of childhood is truly magical" but... yeah, I don't know if any kid thinks that.
Stunning, heart felt picture book which explores the power of family friendship to build a happy home. It explores the journey that the father and daughter take to build a bond. Accompanied with great illustrations. This book is fabulous
I went into this book knowing nothing about it and thinking it was going to be a story about a dad and his daughter pretending they were going into outer space and building their space station in the yard or living room. I was wrong! While I understand the symbolism and underlying message (a father building a loving bond with his daughter, which is beautiful), the imaginative illustrations seemed to suggest multiple different storylines which confused me.
I wanted to this more than I did. The illustrations are intricate and calming but I just couldn’t love it. The cadence of some of the rhymes were off and some things seemed out of place to me (like the witch, pirate, doctor and Viking). I’m not sure I totally got the message before I read some other reviews.
It's beautiful, sure enough, and with the exception of some questionable rhymes, quite endearing, but after Sophie Blackall's IF YOU COME TO EARTH, Jeffers's corny/cosmic brand of twee doesn't dazzle. We just have different sensibilities.
(4) Énorme coup de coeur pour les dessins. L'histoire, bien que simple, est attendrissement. Il manque tout de même quelque chose et j'aurais aimé que la mélodie des mots soit encore plus poussée - même si la présence de rimes et autres procédés reste un plus. Mais bon, j'étais déjà conquise rien qu'avec la couverture !
A heartwarming story about a father and daughter who go on an imaginative journey to create a bright future. It resonates with both children and adults. Jeffers is genius.