The Great Realization

by Tomos Roberts (Tomfoolery) (Author)

The Great Realization
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
Selected by Today as a book to ease kids' anxiety about coronavirus."We all need hope. Humans have an extraordinary capacity to battle through adversity, but only if they have something to cling onto: a belief or hope that maybe, one day, things will be better.This idea sparked The Great Realization. Sharing the truths we may find hard to tell but also celebrating the things--from simple acts of kindness and finding joy in everyday activities, to the creativity within us all--that have brought us together during lockdown, it gives us hope in this time of global crisis. Written for his younger brother and sister in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Tomos Roberts's heartfelt poem is as timely as it is timeless. Its message of hope and resilience, of rebirth and renewal, has captured the hearts of children and adults all over the globe--and the glimpse it offers of a fairer, kinder, more sustainable world continues to inspire thousands every day. With Tomos Roberts's heartfelt poem and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Nomoco, The Great Realization is a profound work, at once striking and reassuring, reminding readers young and old that in the face of adversity there are still dreams to be dreamt and kindnesses to be shared and hope. There is still hope. We now call it The Great Realization and, yes, since then there have been many. But that's the story of how it started . . .and why hindsight's 2020.
Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Readers may be affected by the optimistic tone, but the words sound darker, even disturbing, themes. (Picture book. 6-8)


School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--Set in an abstract future, a young boy asks his older brother to share a bedtime story about the time of the virus of 2020. It was a time when people had lost their way, when humans were lost to a world of environmental degradation, technology, and corporate greed. Then a virus came and changed how people behaved. During a time when everyone was forced to slow down and live differently, they managed to find hope and inspiration for a different way of living. The story, in the form of a picture book poem, was originally released as a short video that went viral on social media platforms in this past spring. It featured the author reading the poem as a bedtime story to his younger brother and sister in an effort to offer a more optimistic response to fears and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nomoco's artistic ink and watercolor illustrations serve as an understated backdrop for the text. In the introduction, the author is careful to assert that he does not wish to negate the many hardships caused by the virus, but instead offers a message of hope and optimism in a time of great difficulties. VERDICT This fairytale-style story provides a springboard for discussion of current events with children, and presents a more optimistic view of the future in a time where the outlook often seems bleak.--Jessica Marie, Salem P.L., OR

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

This fairytale-style story provides a springboard for discussion of current events with children, and presents a more optimistic view of the future in a time where the outlook often seems bleak. —School Library Journal
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780063066366
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
HarperCollins
Publication date
September 01, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
JUV070000 - Juvenile Fiction | Poetry (see also Stories in Verse)
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Community life
Epidemics
Hope
Change
COVID-19 (Disease)

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