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Sweet People Are Everywhere
Sweet People Are Everywhere, an illustrated book for children ages 4–8 (and readers of all ages) by internationally renowned writer and activist Alice Walker, focuses on a common thread of the “sweet people” who can be found all over the world. The poem addresses a young boy getting his first passport, taking the boy—and the reader—on a journey through a series of countries around the globe. The poem is a powerful celebration of humanity and globalism, embodying a generosity of spirit that is inspiring, timely, and timeless.
The evocative free verse poem was first published in Walker’s 2018 poetry collection Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Library Journal praised the book for its “poems of love and hope” and, in a starred review, Booklist commended Walker’s “prodding wisdom of an elder suggesting that we can cope by taking comfort in beauty, friendship, and human kindness; by always expressing gratitude; and by turning inward to hold ourselves accountable for what we contribute.”
Sweet People Are Everywhere is Walker’s sixth book for children, and it explores and builds on some of the same themes as her 2007 title Why War Is Never a Good Idea; her first children’s book was Langston Hughes: American Poet (1974).
The evocative free verse poem was first published in Walker’s 2018 poetry collection Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Library Journal praised the book for its “poems of love and hope” and, in a starred review, Booklist commended Walker’s “prodding wisdom of an elder suggesting that we can cope by taking comfort in beauty, friendship, and human kindness; by always expressing gratitude; and by turning inward to hold ourselves accountable for what we contribute.”
Sweet People Are Everywhere is Walker’s sixth book for children, and it explores and builds on some of the same themes as her 2007 title Why War Is Never a Good Idea; her first children’s book was Langston Hughes: American Poet (1974).
48 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2021
About the author
Alice Walker
252 books7,530 followersNoted American writer Alice Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her stance against racism and sexism in such novels as
The Color Purple
(1982).
People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.
People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 3, 2021
With the suspension of the Goodreads Choice 2021 Picture Book category, I was of mixed feelings; first, my family yearly rates all the nominees, but we had in recent years been less impressed with the nominees (which Rod Brown found were often published by Amazon subsidiaries). So I consulted a couple sources for likely Caldecott Award nominees, and I asked a few people to read them with me; in general they are so much better than, for instance, last year’s GR bunch. As my kids get older, they have mostly dropped out of the reading, but I still have anywhere from 2-4 readers with me this year.
#8 is “Sweet People Are Everywhere,” by Alice Walker and illustrated by Quim Torres, contesting all the violent hatred in the world, showing sweet people from lots of different countries.
R (retired librarian): (3 stars). Good concept. Wish background colors of each page matched the colors on the map. “Sweet” Is kind of a nebulous word.
T (electrician): (3.5 stars). Very simple and nice message. Illustrations show something related to each country and are nice.
Dave (teacher) (3 stars). Famous author writes a vaguely hopeful book that resists cultural stereotyping. Stop being ethnocentric! Dedicated to “Young Bryon, who is getting a passport.” Okay. I like the illustrations better than the text.
Hank (15) (2.5 stars). Sweet people, sweet people, sweet people, I think I’m going crazy. I like the drawings used to illustrate the words.
#8 is “Sweet People Are Everywhere,” by Alice Walker and illustrated by Quim Torres, contesting all the violent hatred in the world, showing sweet people from lots of different countries.
R (retired librarian): (3 stars). Good concept. Wish background colors of each page matched the colors on the map. “Sweet” Is kind of a nebulous word.
T (electrician): (3.5 stars). Very simple and nice message. Illustrations show something related to each country and are nice.
Dave (teacher) (3 stars). Famous author writes a vaguely hopeful book that resists cultural stereotyping. Stop being ethnocentric! Dedicated to “Young Bryon, who is getting a passport.” Okay. I like the illustrations better than the text.
Hank (15) (2.5 stars). Sweet people, sweet people, sweet people, I think I’m going crazy. I like the drawings used to illustrate the words.
December 2, 2021
4.5 This is an important book for children. Knowing that people are sweet all over the world can calm some fears and encourage kids to reach out. We hear and speak far too much about hate and war and division these days, and children absorb that whether we intend them to or not.
Sweet is the perfect word to use here, it’s welcoming, soft, and cannot be misconstrued. I love the varied sentence structure for slightly older readers, the same idea is repeated just a little bit differently from page to page, great learning tool.
I took 1/2 point off for the illustrations, I liked most of them but some pages confused me. Almost no one in China looks Asian, and while I appreciate that most of the cultures in our world are now mixed, this threw me off a bit. Many of the other country illustrations are gorgeous though.
Good read, lots of food for thought and conversation.
Sweet is the perfect word to use here, it’s welcoming, soft, and cannot be misconstrued. I love the varied sentence structure for slightly older readers, the same idea is repeated just a little bit differently from page to page, great learning tool.
I took 1/2 point off for the illustrations, I liked most of them but some pages confused me. Almost no one in China looks Asian, and while I appreciate that most of the cultures in our world are now mixed, this threw me off a bit. Many of the other country illustrations are gorgeous though.
Good read, lots of food for thought and conversation.
September 1, 2025
boring but the pictures are pretty. also it feels weird to say ‘some’ or ‘lots’ for different countries.
December 2, 2021
This is a sweet book. I just wish it would include Yemen. I need a book that includes Yemen.
July 9, 2023
achei fofíssimo!
March 28, 2025
Alice Walker, best known for her acclaimed novel The Color Purple, came out not long ago with a children's picture book Sweet People Are Everywhere, illustrated wonderfully by Quinn Torres from Barcelona. Walker wrote this simple poem for a young musician she knew who was traveling outside of the United States for the first time, but the poem is not addressed to that friend in particular. It's for all kids.
Thirty-seven countries from all the continents are recognized as having sweet people, although she hadn't visited them all. They represent the rest of the world with full-page, colorful illustrations showing families playing and working and caring for each other.
They may be traveling by double-decker bus in England, flying kites in Brazil and Venezuela, dancing to a saxophonist in Cuba, or playing in the snow in Russia.
Walker has a great message in this poem, which ends with her opinion that sweet people should not be disappeared and that we are lost if we cannot experience how sweet people can be. Walker hopes kids will realize that there's other people around the world that they would love to get to know.
The large-sized, thin book concludes with a fascinating, two-page interview where she answers questions kids as well as myself will be interested in.
Her love of travel began as a child when she read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
Highly recommended!
November 11, 2021
Sweet People are in Turkey, sweet people are in Afganisthan, sweet people are in the US, sweet people are in Canada. People in Mexico are sweet too. Sweet people in Sudan, sweet people in South Africa, sweet people even in snowy parts of Russia. Millions of sweet people in China, sweet people in congo. Sweet people are holding on in Syria, and they are doing the same in Iraq. If the sweet people were the leaders in historically warring countries, they would treat each other much better. Sweet people are everywhere, and being sweet, they must not be disappeared. We as humans will be lost if we can no longer experience how precious human beings can be.
Yes, this is a lovely poetic book written by Alice Walker for her young houseguest Bryon. It is always wonderful to see the good in people. As much as there is wrong in the World, we need to see the bright side. We need to choose humanity over war. We need to keep the trust. Alice also encourages children to stay away from gadgets and be in the outdoors to be present in themselves. I recommend all to read this book at least once. Check out the illustrations and the notes for the inspirations in the end.
Yes, this is a lovely poetic book written by Alice Walker for her young houseguest Bryon. It is always wonderful to see the good in people. As much as there is wrong in the World, we need to see the bright side. We need to choose humanity over war. We need to keep the trust. Alice also encourages children to stay away from gadgets and be in the outdoors to be present in themselves. I recommend all to read this book at least once. Check out the illustrations and the notes for the inspirations in the end.
July 30, 2022
For people familiar with her legendary contributions to literature, poetry, and art, it is a great feeling to see Alice Walker still gracing our presence with her exceptional gifts. This time, she collaborates with Spanish freelance artist Quim Torres for a beautiful children’s book, “Sweet People Are Everywhere”. Each turn of the page whisks us away to some of the most incredible locations around the globe, where sweet people truly reside.
It’s a simple, yet important message for children. “Sweet People” reminds families about our wonderful similarities and differences, near or far, that connect us and give us hope. Peace and solidarity are the overarching themes. Walker’s generational impact can be seen through this poignant children’s story just as much as any of her prize-winning adult novels. Torres flourishes every detail with all the colors of the rainbow, a reflection of the endless beautiful hues found…everywhere.
It’s a simple, yet important message for children. “Sweet People” reminds families about our wonderful similarities and differences, near or far, that connect us and give us hope. Peace and solidarity are the overarching themes. Walker’s generational impact can be seen through this poignant children’s story just as much as any of her prize-winning adult novels. Torres flourishes every detail with all the colors of the rainbow, a reflection of the endless beautiful hues found…everywhere.
November 8, 2021
Sweet People are Everywhere written by Alice Walker, illustrated by Quim Torres
PUB DATE: Nov 2, 2021
This beautiful picture book is so special. Activist Alice Walker's big-hearted poem is a powerful celebration of humanity & globalism. A young American boy gets his first passport & is shown all the different countries of the world focusing on the "sweet people" with a map at the end.
It highlights that in every country, there are sweet people & we can always be thankful for the kindness of other humans & be kind ourselves. It's simple yet powerful. The illustrations are done by award-winning artist, Quim Torres.
She ends with:
"We are lost
if we can no longer experience how sweet human beings can be.
Promise me never
to forget this."
PUB DATE: Nov 2, 2021
This beautiful picture book is so special. Activist Alice Walker's big-hearted poem is a powerful celebration of humanity & globalism. A young American boy gets his first passport & is shown all the different countries of the world focusing on the "sweet people" with a map at the end.
It highlights that in every country, there are sweet people & we can always be thankful for the kindness of other humans & be kind ourselves. It's simple yet powerful. The illustrations are done by award-winning artist, Quim Torres.
She ends with:
"We are lost
if we can no longer experience how sweet human beings can be.
Promise me never
to forget this."
March 4, 2022
A sweet book about how people are sweet all over the world. Gorgeous illustrations. My main quibble with this book is that it necessarily leaves so many places out—there's no way to include every community in the world, of course, but that ends up feeling a little sad. I found myself looking especially for Indigenous nations in North America and not finding any. That being said, this is still a great conversation-starting read and a love song to humanity.
Themes: We're all the same/we're all different, travel, around the world
Age range: All ages
Themes: We're all the same/we're all different, travel, around the world
Age range: All ages
May 16, 2022
Essa edição é uma junção linda de um poema da autora Alice Walker com ilustrações de Quim Torres, que retratam diversas culturas de forma muito delicada. O livro fala sobre a diversidade existente em cada país, as diferentes culturas e hábitos particulares de cada uma. É uma leitura destinada a qualquer idade e isso me fez gostar mais ainda do livro; qualquer pessoa pode ler em questão de minutos e admirá-lo por horas se assim desejar.
Há um apelo pela paz no poema que casa com as ilustrações, em uma época em que a xenofobia ainda se faz presente, o livro explica com facilidade como, simplesmente, há "gente legal em todo lugar", que merecem respeito e admiração. Gostei muito da edição, há uma explicação para as ilustrações no final que deixa tudo mais amarrado; é um livro simples e muito bonito, tanto no quesito estético como reflexivo.
Há um apelo pela paz no poema que casa com as ilustrações, em uma época em que a xenofobia ainda se faz presente, o livro explica com facilidade como, simplesmente, há "gente legal em todo lugar", que merecem respeito e admiração. Gostei muito da edição, há uma explicação para as ilustrações no final que deixa tudo mais amarrado; é um livro simples e muito bonito, tanto no quesito estético como reflexivo.
February 10, 2026
Review for LIB 301: An important premise, but entirely lacking substance. Just saying “There are sweet people in ____” over and over does almost nothing to open anyone’s minds, even if they are young. This book also does nothing to actually show how people can be sweet. It has zero story. Also, it was a bit odd that some countries have “some” sweet people, while others have “many”, that could unintentionally give students the wrong idea.
December 17, 2021
A meditation on the fact that you kind find sweet people all around the world. The cool part of this book, besides the fact that it was written by Alice Walker, is that the end matter contains an author interview and information about the illustrations depicted throughout. More of a keepsake then a story to be read over and over again.
December 27, 2021
A perfectly lovely book that shows children that there are indeed sweet people anywhere we roam. I love the simplicity of the message and the idea that having a passport (see the dedication) can open up the entire world to you, change the way you see the world, its people and more importantly how you see yourself.
March 14, 2022
Simple text, lovely illustrations, very in-your-face message (which is sometimes what we need). With all that's happening in the world at the moment, drilling the message about treating all people with respect and kindness regardless of where we come from, who we pray to (or don't pray to), what we eat, how we dress, what colour our skin is etc., is okay with me.
January 14, 2023
Beautiful illustrations of people of all backgrounds, but it is confusing to know the age group to whom this book is targeted. The language is very simple indicating a preschool audience, but this age group will struggle developmentally with where these locations are. In my classroom, I would have it as something children could view on their own because the pictures are so strong.
March 3, 2024
Taking us through the different countries of the world showing us their lives and people. Explaining that sweet people are all around us and all over the world. I think this important ,especially with the things children can be exposed to, to show them that no matter the stereotypes or rumors they hear that kind and sweet people are everywhere and are deserving of respect and love.
November 23, 2021
What a touching book to let children know that deep down people are all the same. I love the way the sweet people are shown in their country surroundings which shows kids how other people might live. Very "sweet" book that will be a wonderful bedtime story for children.
December 19, 2021
Nice to see a picture book by Alice Walker. I think I was expecting something profound like her novels. This was a simplistic book. Repetitive and not very exciting. Beautiful illustrations. The book was sweet but I think I was personally expecting more from one of the world's greatest writers.
June 30, 2022
"Parte do meu impeyto de escrever foi para ajudar outras pessoas a conhecerem o que eh estava sentindo."
"A escrita é como mágica. Você pode criar algo. E pode tornar isso tão visual que outras pessoas também podem ver, mas que na verdade surge do invisível."
"A escrita é como mágica. Você pode criar algo. E pode tornar isso tão visual que outras pessoas também podem ver, mas que na verdade surge do invisível."
November 5, 2023
I love the message of this book and the perspective it shapes, both geographical and social. Felt a little long for the very youngest readers and has complex subtext below, but a recommended read nevertheless.
February 26, 2024
Beautiful. People the world over are beautiful. Remember that. Detailed, stylized illustrations bring Walker's words to life. Would be good to share with kids before they travel abroad/to another place, culture, people.
Themes: countries, travel, people
Ages: K-3rd grade+
Pub year: 2021
Themes: countries, travel, people
Ages: K-3rd grade+
Pub year: 2021
October 12, 2021
Such a beautiful story! Hearing it read by the author is an extra special treat!
November 3, 2021
I LOVE this book. The poem is timeless and the illustrations are sublime. Consider it essential for any children's library.
November 4, 2021
This is such a beautiful book. The message and the illustrations are wonderful and the words are simple yet powerful, so it can appeal to a broad range of ages.
November 28, 2021
Very simple and nice message.
December 8, 2021
Beautiful illustrations, excellent discussion starter with students on fairness, respect, and responsibility to the world
December 13, 2021
I love what it was trying to do but it didn’t succeed in my opinion.
Read
February 5, 2022A lovely, lovely book.
Divine, Colorful illustrations!
Divine, Colorful illustrations!
March 4, 2022
Wonderful picture book that would make a great addition to any family’s shelf, as a visual reminder that there are kind people all over the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews