One and Everything
by Sam Winston (Author) Sam Winston (Illustrator)
Fine artist Sam Winston, cocreator of the New York Times best-selling A Child of Books, celebrates the power of stories and written languages--and the imperative to preserve them.
Once there were many stories in the world. There were stories with sunsets and wonderful tales filled with fairies and dinosaurs. But one day, a story decided that it was the best, the most important story ever. It called itself the One and started to consume every other story it came across. The One ate stories made of seas and others full of dogs. Soon it seemed that the One was all there was . . . or was it? Inspired by the Endangered Alphabets project, aimed at preserving cultures by sharing their unique scripts, author-illustrator Sam Winston uses writing systems such as cuneiform and Tibetan, Egyptian hieroglyphs and ogham to illustrate this book in his signature typography-based style, using symbols and letters that have relayed the world's stories over the centuries.
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Publishers Weekly
"Once there were many stories for the world," begins this abstract extended metaphor from Winston (A Child of Books). Each "story" is represented as a softly washed watercolor circle floating against a white background and filled with character-based patterns. A small, gray circle filled with roman text decides "to be... the most important story in the world." Beginning to consume the others, it proclaims "I am the Only Story." But once inside it, "a few letters got together, then words," until a voice challenges the consuming circle's claims: If it contains all the words for all the stories, is it not One Story, but Every Story? This revolutionary revelation sets all the tales free, and they visually transition to a ring of bright, coexisting wash circles. An author's note describes global changes that have pressured people to speak the same language to the detriment of others, half of which--along with attendant narratives and stories--"are now under threat of disappearing." Though the allegory's conceit may take some time for readers to twig, extensive back matter reveals a vast array of writing systems, and makes the case for their preservation. Ages 7-10. (Nov.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 2-5--At first glance, readers may assume this is an art book with lots of circles and patterns. Once they begin reading, they will see it is the story of how languages can be subsumed by others. The One gobbles up each story that it encounters and is proud to be the only story left. The letters on the One's surface reflect its thoughts, such as "I am the one" or "I am always right." But words are powerful things, and even in the darkness inside the One, the other letters combine to question the One's supremacy. The illustrations use simple circles for the various stories; each has its own color and a pattern created from a particular writing system. Cherokee, Javanese, and Tamil are just a few of the scripts used. Back matter includes descriptions of 10 of the scripts, with details on what the symbols mean and what language(s) they represent. A map shows where the fifty different scripts in the book come from, and there is a labeled sample of each script. The acknowledgments mention many groups and organizations around the world who are working to preserve languages in danger of being lost. VERDICT A story that works on many levels for various ages, from a simple fable about greed to a wake-up call to value linguistic diversity.--Suzanne Costner
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
—Brightly Artist Sam Winston's stunning book is both a work of art and a tribute to the diversity of languages, stories, ideas and perspectives the world can hold. . . . The idea is lovely — but even more stunning is the story behind the art, which uses text from languages throughout history and from around the world. A fascinating guide at the end of the book discusses the characters used in the artwork, the languages they capture, and the cultures they convey.
—The Virginian Pilot
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV030000 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | General
Language and languages
Children's stories, English
