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The Boy Who Spoke To The Earth

      At bedtime, I asked my daughter how to say "fish." She signed fish next to her mouth. I thought she had picked it up that way since we ate tuna fish from a can for lunch that day. The next day she pulled this book off the shelf again and I realized that she had signed fish next to her mouth because the bear had a fish in its mouth.


     Two years ago when my husband and I visited Arches National Park we stopped in at the Visitor Center and this book caught my eye because of the beautiful pictures. Those same eye-catching pages are what draws and keeps my almost-two-year-old's attention. She loves finding the hidden animals on the pages and laughs at the squirrel on the very last page. This is a good book for "Where's the ____?" and "What's that called?" type questions. I like that the boy goes to the far reaches of the earth through different biomes and the pictures become full panoramic images when the boy starts seeing instead of only looking. The illustrations reference our National Parks and showcase their wildlife. 
     The story is the boy in search of happiness. What is happiness? Where is happiness found? The boy must learn to stop and stand still to truly see and not just look. I like that the author uses alliteration "waded and he wandered" or "hiked and he hauled." At the end of the story the boy found that happiness was all around him. I think the book reminds us to look for and appreciate the good and lovely things (Phil. 4), and to pause long enough to truly see and hear to take in with all your senses what is around you. The book reminds me to "[B]e still and know that I am God" as it says in Psalm 46:10.
     This book is written by Chris Bukkard and David McClellan, published in 2015 by Dreamling Books out of Salt Lake City. The pictures allow for this book to be enjoyed by all ages. If you see this book at a National Park Visitor Center you should definitely check it out. The book is also available through most libraries or interlibrary loan programs.


Activities to pair with the book:
-go hiking on a local trail
-sit still under a tree looking up at the branches and the wildlife in it
-lay quietly on the grass and look at the bugs that crawl around
-visit state and national parks



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